Nizraadom (Discontinued)
by The Amethyst Phoenix
Summary: This story is being remade and will be deleted soon.
1. Chapter 1

The autumn colored leaves slightly crunched beneath her hide boots. She treads lightly through the thick of trees covering the area, crouched low to the ground. Her hunting bow was firmly gripped in her left hand, an arrow ready in the other. Her braided amber hair rested on her right shoulder, stray strands lightly kissing her cheeks as the wind blew softly against her. She closed her eyes as she listened to the breeze and all the sounds it carried. It was quiet. Her slightly pointed ears hardly twitched as she heard the sound of hooves grazing over the dead leaves that littered the ground. She slowly moved towards the sound, still in a crouching position. She had been tracking the elk for some time now, her lower back began to ache from the strain she was putting on it, though she knew it would not be long before she found him.

She noticed the patch of wet leaves in front of her. She lightly touched her fingers to the pressed leaves, moving a few around on the ground. She brought a small handful of leaves to her nose and ground the leaves between her fingers. She breathed in just enough to smell the scent the elk left. He had marked this spot, and it was fresh. She traveled to her left touching where the earth was disturbed from the grass being torn from its roots. She looked around the area for more traces left by the animal. She was close, she could almost smell it. She continued forward slowly, her fur cloak skimming the backs of her boots as she stalked about. Moments later she spotted the large brown elk once again feeding on a small patch of green grass.

She slowed her breathing, not wanting to startle the creature. She finally had him. She moved closer, her feet making no sound as they touched the ground softly. As the elk's head dipped again, she found her footing. Still crouched she placed her left foot forward, placing her weight on the ball of her foot, balancing herself with her right underneath her. She nocked the arrow in her hunting bow, bringing the fingers wrapped around the string and the arrow feathers close to her mouth. Her fur bracers brushed against her cheek as her lips slightly parted and she steadied her breathing, taking aim at the oblivious animal as she closed her left eye. The arrow lined up at the elk's skull, it would be the killing blow she needed. She took a deep breath in and just as she was about to blow the air out and take her shot, a commotion in the distance startled her and the elk.

Her head quickly turned clockwise to look behind her towards the hollering men upsetting her hunt, hidden from her view in the stretch of forest. She quickly turned her head back to the elk as it began running away from the loud sounds they created. She grunted through ground teeth as she quickly fired her arrow, it flew, sticking in the tree the elk ducked behind with a thud. She lowered her arms, her bow in hand with a frustrated sigh. She had been tracking the elk for a couple hours and now she would need to start all over. She angrily walked towards the tree with her arrow as the tumult of noises continued behind her. As she yanked the arrow from the tree it snapped and with a near growl she threw the broken piece to the ground.

As the yelling continued beyond her line of vision she began to hear more as sounds of clanking metal rang and echoed through the forest. As curiosity got the best of her, her feet began leading herself towards the uproar taking place. The sounds grew louder when she came close, realizing she was near the mine she had gone past earlier in the day while tracking the animal. She had never passed through the small area, always making sure to keep her distance from other people, always fearing the worst.

It had been years since she last held a conversation with anyone from the towns or farms in Eastmarch. She did not have real contact with the citizens of Skyrim, but she did not entirely wish it. She was fearless when facing the bears and sabre cats, even the occasional frostbite spider. But it was in the face of man and mer she cowered, feeling their judgmental eyes upon her, seeing the grimaces on their faces as she passed, the anger in some and the fear in others. No, she did not enjoy the company of man, she preferred her quiet life alone traveling and hunting her way through Eastmarch and the Rift, living off what the land provided for her. At times she would lay at night, watching the auras in the sky dance with color, and she would wish for companionship. She would sometimes wish for the loving embrace of someone like herself, so she would not feel so empty. Though those were not the things she was provided with when she encountered the farmers and other hunters. The occasional guard would greet her in passing but it was not the contact and emotion she craved.

As she neared the mine she remained hidden in the tree line. She could hear the voices still screaming and yelling but the clank of metal had ceased. She could not see much of what was happening from the ground so she found a tree close to the mine and ascended to a higher point of view. She found the right spot in the tree, only a few meters off the ground and she crouched on the branch that hovered slightly over the clearing, the thick veil of last seed's leaves covering her form. She bounced lightly, testing the strength of the limb. Satisfied, she pulled her attention to the commotion below.

She took in the sight of what was happening before her, slightly confused as to what she was seeing. She craned her neck to get a better view, her fingers just barely holding her balance in the tree. She realized there were two different groups of people. The first group the men dressed in brown leather armor with maroon trimming, some with steal instead of leather, she assumed it showed a higher command. All these men wore helms corresponding with the type of armor they wore, most of them carried swords and had leather boots and bracers to match. In the second group there were about six or seven men who wore chain mail cuirass' with blue cloth wrapped around their necks and both their chest and back. Their light brown fur leggings matched the boots they wore. She could tell they were natives, more acclimated to the cold weather of Skyrim as the other group showed their bare legs under their armor. She had seen that blue armor before closer to Windhelm, but never paid them much attention, the same way they did her.

The men in the leather and maroon armor were binding the hands of the men in blue. They began grouping them all together, each solider on their knees heads down. She was still unsure of what was happening but thought best to stay away. She remained in her spot high in the tree, continuously observing the poor men in blue. She almost felt a pang of sorrow for them; their faces were dirty and gloomy. She had once known what it was like to have your freedom ripped away and she sympathized with the soldiers.

Then she noticed as they shoved another man to his knees along with the soldiers in blue. He was wearing a bear fur cloak and darker clothing. His dark blonde hair was braided on the sides and his mouth gagged unlike the others. She squinted at the peculiarness of it, this man that stood out from the rest. She wondered what he had been doing with the men in blue. Wondered why they had been bound as they had and taken as prisoners by the men in the maroon armor. A few minutes had passed as these thoughts swirled in her head and the free men had been conversing with one another in the meantime. She was dragged from her thoughts when she noticed the horse and carriages arrive. The men in blue were dragged up and roughly thrown into the carts, ready to be taken away.

Only after a few men had been loaded onto the carts her head jerked towards the noise of a horse approaching. A tan skinned man, covered in dirt with dark hair rode into the area on a rather skittish horse. The minute he reached the scene his horse reared, flying the man off its back as it took off. He landed on his back and before he could get up the soldier's grabbed his arms yanking him to stand. Two of the armored soldiers in steel spoke quietly before approaching the man.

"What is your name?" One of the soldiers spoke; it was a dark skinned woman with a commanding tone in her voice.

"Lo…Lokir…" The man stuttered, obvious fear in his voice as he tried to wiggle out of the grip the men had on him. The female soldier regarded him for a moment then turned to another soldier motioning him forward. He had a board in his hand with a parchment on it that he gave her and she looked at it for a moment before returning to the ragged man.

"Lokir of Rorikstead?" The man remained silent. "That horse didn't belong to you did it horse thief?" She spoke sternly.

"No, I mean yes, but this is all a misunderstanding!" He said with panic in his voice.

"Bind him and load him in the carts." The woman stated. Lokir started yelling out in protest as they tried to bind his hands along with the other soldiers. His struggling annoyed the other soldier trying to bind his hands, who then punched him to calm him before firmly tying his hands and loading him on the carriage with the rest of the soldiers.

They saved the gagged man for last and treated him a tad more roughly than the rest. Just after he was thrown into the cart he began looking around, dissipated hope shown on his face. As he turned his head up and away from the cart she froze when his eyes landed on hers. She remained still afraid he saw her, and she blinked a few times as she felt his eyes boring into hers, or at least that is what it seemed. Her heart beat quickened as he continued to stare; she held her breath wondering why he was looking at her. Finally he tore his eyes away as if he never saw her there at all. She heaved a sigh of relief and took that as her cue to leave. She began to step back from the end of the limb but then she heard the slight crack of the branch as it began to give way. Startled she quickly backed towards the trunk of the tree as the branch collapsed from underneath her. She leaped for the nearest branch, but missed as her fingers grazed the branch above her. She came crashing down, landing alongside the snapped branch on her side with a thud. The wind was knocked from her and her entire right side throbbed from the pain of her fall. She wanted to take a moment to compose herself but soon noticed she had no time. The men in the maroon armor stalking towards her. She scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping over herself as her legs kicked back and she used her arms to push herself up to gain balance.

She didn't look back, she just ran. It was something she knew she was good at, running. She knew how to track and with that she knew how to stay hidden and keep to her surroundings. Men were no different than animal and she knew she'd use this to her advantage. She picked up speed, her bow hitting the back of her legs as she sprinted into the forest. She could hear the men yelling after her, their armor clinking as they gained on her. She was fast but she was smaller than them. Her short steps wouldn't match the length and power of the strides the men took behind her. She started ducking behind and around trees as she ran hoping to catch them off guard. She felt no hope as the sounds of their armor and panting grew louder. She began to think of a better way to escape, running was no longer an option.

She quickly hid behind a tree and caught her breath waiting for the right time to strike. She had not needed to fight men often before, it was only the fierce animals of the wild that were her opponents over the years. Though in her mind, these men were no different. She closed her eyes as she removed and readied her bow to strike. She could hear them getting closer. Her breathing slowed, focusing on her sense of hearing.

"There is no point in running. We have this whole area under guard! We will find you!" One of the men shouted. "Just come out from where ever you are hiding and this will all be far easier." She contemplated it for a moment…but it was only a moment. She heard a twig snap near her and she rounded the tree bow and arrow in hand. The moment her target was in site she fired, her arrow flying true into the soldier's left shoulder. She nocked another arrow as he stumbled back and shot behind him. The arrow whipped past his head hitting the second man in the chest, falling as the first did. She took notice of a little less than a dozen more in the area all running towards her.

She nocked another arrow and it took off towards the next target landing in his leg then he collapsed to the ground hands pressed to his thigh. She didn't want to kill anyone, she never had the intention to and she tried to just incapacitate them before they reached her. Before she could pull another arrow a soldier finally found her. She shifted her bow in her hands twirling it so the end knocked the soldier in the nose. He covered his face with his hands, now pouring blood as she punched him with her other hand sending him to the ground. Two more men approached and she kicked one in the gut before she ducked from the swing of a sword to her side. She angled her bow up as she stood and the tip of the bow drove into the man's crotch. The man she had kicked reeled on her tackling her to the ground holding her arms together. She dropped her bow as they fell on their sides. She struggled as his grip tightened on her but she threw her head back and bashed his teeth with her skull. His grip loosened enough for her to squirm free. She crawled towards her bow before another man came at her, kicking her in the ribs. She cried out in pain as she fell flat on her stomach to the ground again. The man brought his leg back for another kick but she twisted to her back caught his foot near her chest and twisted. He fell back sending shocks into the ground beneath her and she clambered to her feet once again grabbing her bow as she started running. She only gained a small distance before she felt a sharp pain in the back of her thigh and she dropped to one knee. She reached for the stabbing pain in her leg to find an arrow lodged there. She screamed as she yanked it out, having done so before, growing slightly dizzy from the pain but told herself to push on. She stumbled to her feet once more as an arrow whizzed past her, her hair flowing forward from the wind of it. She turned quickly as she drew an arrow searching for the other archer. Favoring her uninjured leg she aimed and shot, but missed. She grunted as she drew another arrow, ducking from the one flying towards her. She found her assailant one more time and this time the arrow flew true striking the man in the arm. She smiled and limply turned around but ran into the hard chest of another soldier causing her to fall back. She fell on her tailbone, pain shot like lightning up her spine as she groaned from the shock. She looked up and the last thing she saw was a man in the steel armor hitting her against the head with the blunt of his sword. She fell over limply as the darkness took her.

* * *

Ulfric sat in the carriage waiting for the Imperial soldiers to return with the young woman who he caught staring in the tree. He had seen her before her branch collapsed, even made eye contact with those fiery citrine eyes. She looked like an animal stalking in the shadows of the orange leaves around her, perfectly blended with her surroundings. He thought curiously, as he bore into those animalistic eyes, what she was doing there. She was as still as a sabre cat before it found its prey. Had she been following them? He could not think of many logical reasons as to why this woodland girl was glued there but he finally looked away hoping for her sake that she would not be captured as well. He knew this was going to end poorly. That Imperial Bastard Tullius was here and he gritted his teeth against the cloth in his mouth at the thought of him as he turned and stared daggers at the man's back.

A decent amount of time had passed and he thought that maybe the girl had escaped somehow. Just as these thoughts entered his mind he looked towards the rustling bushes on the tree line to see two Imperial guards dragging the poor woman by the arms, dropping her in front of the carts, her body lifeless. Had they killed her? He noticed the lack of soldiers who had returned at first and realized she must have put up one hell of a fight if only a few came back uninjured. A few men were carried by their comrades a short while later, arrows sticking from their bodies, others with bloodied faces. He chuckled to himself at the thought of a smaller woman taking down half a dozen Imperial soldiers.

They dragged her onto the cart not caring how they treated the smaller woman as she fell to the floor of the cart at his feet unconscious. He noticed she was not wearing the furs she had been before when she fell, he couldn't help but wonder why they would throw her in those dirty rags when it was middle of Last Seed and the temperatures in Eastmarch were dropping. Maybe a way to make her pay for giving them a beating. She looked to be a nord, but as her head was turned he noticed the slight point of her ears showing through the caramel colored hair. Maybe she was a Breton? They did after all have mer ancestors. She was small enough, that was for sure, but he never knew a Breton with that kind of fire.

The cart began moving as the rest of the Imperials settled themselves on horseback. Through the bumps and turns in their travels the girl would stir every so often but only fall back in an unconscious state. The gash on her head was still bleeding and he worried she would not make it to their destination. Not that it would matter; he felt that they were all heading to Sovngarde anyways. They rode for hours it seemed and as the sky grew dark they stopped and readied a camp. They left him and his soldiers on the carts, not caring for their comfort through the night. Imperial guards took turns keeping watch over their prisoners as the night progressed. Some of his Stormcloaks found rest but no sleep came to him. He sat there awake, pondering the faults they had made. He led his men to their deaths, and the guilt was weighing heavy on him.

Hours after the sky turned dark the woman started coughing slightly as she tried to roll over but instead she found his feet. Her eyes hazily looking at him and once again they made eye contact but only for a second before her head rolled back and small groan escaped her lips. He leaned down and grabbed her arm but she squirmed a bit before rolling away into Ralof and the horse thief across from him. Ralof startled at her movement and looked down at the woman whose eyes were closed again. Ulfric grunted at Ralof through the cloth covering his mouth to get his attention and nodded towards the woman on the floor of the cart.

"Aye." Ralof nodded in understanding as they both worked together to grab her and lift her into a sitting position next to Ulfric, her head hanging forward on her shoulders. Ralof looked towards Ulfric once she was steadied and asked, "Do you think she will be alright?" Ulfric slightly shrugged his shoulders as he sighed just barely shaking his head. After this was all said and done, he did not think any of them would be alright.

* * *

Her head throbbed in pain; that was the first thing she noticed. She then felt the blood trickling down her leg from the gash in her thigh; that was the second thing she noticed. The next thing was the sounds of horses huffing and wooden wheels over a cobblestone path. Her head hung on her shoulders, like it was just too heavy to hold up. At the time her head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds and it rolled back and forth from the movement and bumps of the cart. Her fuzzy eyes began to open, but her vision was blurred. The light stung her eyes and she just wanted to close them again. She blinked a few times as she came to, before taking in her surroundings. Her hands were bound in leather and she shivered noticing she was no longer in her comfy warm furs. As her vision began to slowly clear up she took in her surroundings. She was in one of the carriages she had seen before. Two men sat across from her, one of the soldiers in blue and the other, the horse thief. Behind them was the scenery of luscious pine trees and she could tell the mountain that shadowed them was throat of the world, the tallest, most recognizable mountain in all of Skyrim. She did not often venture too close but it could be seen in nearly all parts of the country.

She looked to her left to see one of the soldiers in the maroon and leather driving the cart. Another cart was in front of them carrying more soldiers. She felt despair sink into her gut and she was fearful of where they were leading them. When she turned to her right she saw the gagged man in the bear furs, the one who she thought had noticed her before. His elbows were on his knees and he solemnly stared at the floor of the cart. She too then looked down and stared at the bound hands, trying to come to grips with the events that would take place once they reached their destination. She feared the worst.

"Hey you…" She was pulled from her thoughts and looked towards the man in front of her. He had blonde hair with braids down the front. He had a scruffy beard and his arms looked almost too bulky for his armor. He was a definitely larger man, a nord obviously but his voice was friendly. "You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush same as us and that thief over there."

"Damn you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn't been looking for you, I woulda stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell" She looked at the horse thief, he looked even dirtier up close. She thought she could slightly smell him too but she disregarded it. His voice was a little gruff as he spoke to her. "You there, you and me we shouldn't be here. It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

"We're all brothers and sisters in binds now thief." She frowned at his words feeling they rung true. The guard driving the carriage yelled at them to shut up but they continued conversing regardless.

"What's wrong with him?" The thief asked looking towards the gagged man next to her.

"Watch your tongue!" The blonde man yelled, "You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true high king!"

"Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" Even she recognized the significance. She may have sheltered herself from society for a few years but she knew that name. She had never met the man, never even seen him. Though she knew her mother had partaken in the events that transpired in Markarth nearly thirty years prior. She knew this man was important and dread filled her as the gravity of the situation sank in. "You're the leader of the rebellion. If they've captured you…oh Gods, where are they taking us?" She couldn't help but ask the same question in her own mind.

"I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits." The blonde nord solemnly stated.

"No! This can't be happening. This isn't happening!" The thief said with panic.

"Hey…" The nord man started, "What village are you from horse thief?"

"Why do you care?" The thief spat out.

"A nords last thoughts, should be of home." The blonde stated comfortingly. She tried to think of home, but she realized she never truly knew one. She did not even know where she was born.

"Rorikstead. I'm…I'm from Rorikstead." The thief stated with sorrowful resolve in his voice.

"General Tullius sir! The headsman is waiting!" She startled at the word headsman. So this was it? Of all the ways she could die it was by the hands of men. It only filled her fears of the goals of men and the violence they all shared in their hearts.

"Good, let's get this over with." She thought the same to herself.

The thief began praying as the neared the village gates, "Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh, Divines please help me!" He exclaimed. They pulled into the village, one she had never been to before. The houses were all constructed from lumber, with hay or straw for the roofs. Random citizens walked the streets, clearing the way for them.

"Look at him…General Tullius, the military governor." The blonde nord spat as she turned her attention to the small man mounted on a horse to the right of the cart. He was conversing with an Altmer woman, who was also on horseback. She wondered who the woman was but the blonde answered her silent thoughts. "And it looks like the Thalmor are with him." She shivered at the mention of the Thalmor. She had heard stories from her mother when she was younger about the Thalmor and Aldemeri Dominion and their supposed mercy. Her thoughts went to cruel places. "I bet they had something to do with this."

"This is Helgen." The blonde stated in recognition. He continued to reminisce about the village as her thoughts began to drift away again, trying to find the strength to face her death, but only shook from the fear of it. Lokir's voice drew her once again from her despairing thoughts.

"Why are we stopping?" He asked the panic once again rising in his voice.

"Why do you think? End of the line." The blonde stated flatly. When they came to a complete stop he spoke again. "Let's go. Shouldn't keep the Gods waiting for us." She stood with shaky legs and hopped down off the cart after the thief and the gagged man. Lokir continued to protest but he was not heard, so she did not dare to do the same as the blonde scolded him for being cowardly.

The so called Imperials started calling names from their list, Ralof grumbling the entire time. They called for the thief and he took off with protests. She looked at him hopefully as he ran but her hopes dwindled the minute an arrow found his back and he fell down lifeless. She almost cried for him, but pulled back the tears.

"Wait you there." She jerked her head towards the imperial speaking to her with the quill and parchment. "Step forward." She did as she was asked, fearing the same fate as Lokir if she did not obey. "Who are you?" He asked her.

She opened her mouth to speak but she choked on her words, panic shown in her eyes. It was a simple question but the current events were still sinking in. "Your name Prisoner!" She jumped as the female commander yelled at her.

"Aurora." She mumbled then cleared her throat. "My name is Aurora." He scanned his list and then turned to the female commander.

"Captain, what should we do, she's not on the list." A small sliver of hope brightened in Aurora's eyes for a moment, but only a moment as the captain spoke.

"Forget the list. She goes to the block." Aurora's head dropped at the words. Sorrow and dread filled her and she never felt so hopeless. What had she done to deserve this?

"I'm sorry, at least you'll die here in your homeland." He stated with a mournful reserve. She followed the female guard as she was commanded to and stood with the other prisoners. She saw the small man who had been talking with the Thalmor approach the gagged man.

"Ulfric Stormcloak, some here in Helgen call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use the power of the voice to murder his king and usurp his throne." Ulfric grunted at him through his gag, and stared ice shards at the man. "You started this war! Plunged Skyrim into chaos and now the empire is going to put you down and restore the peace!" She couldn't help but want to place blame on the man for putting her in this situation but knew it was unfair. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he had a right to murder the king (who she knew nothing of). Though at the mention of chaos she couldn't help but think that is all she saw in these last few moments of her life. The fight at the mine, the events currently taking place, knowing nothing of chaos before these moments. Was it truly this man that caused this trouble or was it the men in maroon that had greatly contributed to it. She supposed she would never know.

There was a roar that echoed through the mountains, startling her from her thoughts. Everyone looked to the skies but they soon disregarded it as the priestess in the yellow robes in front of her began praying for them. Soon a ginger man in the blue armor angrily interrupted and willingly walked towards the headsman. She stared wide eyed as he was shoved to his knees and his head lay on the block. "My Ancestors are smiling at me Imperials! Can you say the same?" He stated right before the headsman's axe came barreling down on his neck severing his head from his body. Aurora looked away and grimaced at the site, squeezing her eyes shut as she took in deep breaths. People started hollering out comments that she tuned out not wanting to look anywhere but her feet, preparing herself for her death.

"Next, the prisoner in the rags!" Her head jerked up, her eyes welled with tears. She didn't have enough time to prepare herself; her death was already upon her. Another roar echoed in the distance. She heard it but disregarded the sound as her heartbeat rang in her ears and it was all she could focus on. She was about to die, she felt as if she barely lived and now it was ending. "I said next prisoner!" The other imperial coaxed her to walk forward and she slowly moved approaching the headsman. She turned and looked down at what was in front of her. The ginger man's head lay in a box in front of the block, his body still lying there just barely pushed aside. This is what was to come of her? She felt a hand shove her down and push her head onto the block. She finally let the tears fall freely as she stared at the bloody axe in front of her. She closed her eyes not wanting to see her death coming towards her. She heard another roar over the ringing in her ears and a shout.

"What in Oblivion is that!?"

"Sentries what do you see?" The ground rumbled beneath her and she opened her eyes wide at the site before her. A dark figure took place atop the tower, its wings spread out over the span of the tower, its jagged scales blacker than night. Its red eyes she felt stared right at her as it roared and the once blue skies above turned into a swirling purple firestorm, debris falling with fire out of the sky. It shouted again and headsmen along with many other guards were flown back out of her line of site. In the chaos she felt strong hands grab her around her waist and pull her to a standing position and pulled her along with them. Her vision was blurry from her tears and the anarchy around her. She looked to see the blonde nord pulling her towards a nearby tower trying to avoid the falling boulders around them. When they entered the tower she fell to her knees, gasping for air from the panic that had ensued.

"Jarl Ulfric, what is that thing!" The blonde asked panting. "Could the legends be true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages." She looked to the Jarl at his response and the words echoed in her ears. She wasn't sure what was worse, facing the headsman block or having to deal with roaring abomination outside the tower. She collected her thoughts as the realization finally sank in…she was just saved by a dragon.

* * *

**A/N: Hello everyone this is my first fanfiction, so I hope this all goes well. I am very welcome to feedback and am accepting of any critiques. I know my grammar is not always best so if you catch something let me know, I always try to go through and fix things but I always miss stuff. **

**Anyways I hope you all enjoy the journey I am about to take you on as I feel this will be very exciting. If you have any story suggestions or input I'm glad to hear it! I also usually listen to music as a write (more like the same song over and over again.) So sometimes I may put a song name at the end in my A/Ns. For this one, I only really listened to this for the first part of the chapter but Farewell from the Hunger Games soundtrack was my inspiration. Feel free to youtube it as I am unsure if I am allowed to post links here! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Aurora sat on the ledge of the stone fireplace in Gerdur's home. She was dressed in the worn and dirty Stormcloak cuirass that she had taken from the dead soldier once Ralof brought her to safety. She felt safe near the friendly blonde nord and knew she made the right choice when they finally escaped the caves they dragged themselves through. She made sure to pick up a long bow and as many of the iron arrows she found from the Imperial guards they had encountered. She had not wanted to do so but it was killed or be killed. Ralof didn't seem to have a problem driving an axe through the skull of the Imperial woman who had sent them to the block. Though she did not want blame him but she couldn't help the gut wrenching guilt that overcame her while she saw the light fade from the woman's brown eyes. She wondered if she had a family, a husband or children maybe? She shook her head of these thoughts, trying not to dwell on what was said and done.

She had the long bow lying across her lap as she warmed herself near the fire. She had found a dagger among one of the dead imperials and was carving a symbol near the grip of her bow. It was the same symbol she had carved into her hunting bow, the one that was stolen from her during the ambush. It matched the amulet that was also stolen, the one her mother had given her as a child. She inwardly grieved over the loss of the one thing she had left of her mother; it made her want to cry. She never took it off before, and her neck and chest felt naked without it. Her mother had told her it was an amulet from the God Akatosh. She did not know much of the God, only that he was supposedly the father of Dragons. She chuckled to herself at the irony of it all.

Everyone had believed the dragons a legend, but even she knew legends began somewhere. However seeing the black dragon up close was a different matter. She still saw the red eyes glaring at her when she closed her eyes. She could hear its roars; smell the ash and burnt flesh that had surrounded the town of Helgen as she made her escape. It was like nothing she had ever seen or experienced. Though she took comfort in knowing she was not alone in the whole ordeal. She looked behind her towards the back of the house where Ralof was talking with his sister Gerdur while she rummaged through the drawers of her wardrobe. The poor man looked as exhausted as she felt and she only assumed she appeared the same. She was covered in soot and ash, her light golden brown hair was a dull musky brown. She could still feel the slight burning on parts of her charred flesh on her arms and legs. They had found a few health potions in the tower during their escape but they could only do so much.

She turned her attention back to the carving on her bow. The symbol was easy to carve out for her as she had done it many times before, though she liked adding the detail to keep her mind off her troubling thoughts. The carving was shaped similar to an arrow head, with the point towards the grip of the bow and small inward wings extending from the top. Two half-filled circles were in the middle of the arrow shaped carving with a line in the shape of a sword passing through them. She sighed and critiqued her work but it did not look as neat as she had wanted, though she could only do so much with the bulky iron dagger she had available.

She turned her attention towards Ralof again as he joined her on the stone in front of the fireplace with a bundle of clothing he set in front of her. She set her bow on the ground and gave him a small smile, the corners of her mouth just barely quirking up as she took the clothing.

"Thank you. You and your sister have been far too kind." She said hoping her tone sounded grateful. She had never received this much kindness from another and it warmed her heart.

"Of course. There's a shack out back with a wash basin so we can get this dirt and soot off ourselves. Hod is preparing it now." He crinkled his nose slightly as he shook and dropped his head slightly. "I can still smell that dragon everywhere I go, like it's still haunting me." His eyes almost looked dead as he spoke and she could only empathize with him. She nodded at his comment as he stood with his own clean clothes in hand. "You can head out there first; I still have a few things I want to talk with Gerdur about." She bowed her head and thanked him as she grabbed her bow and dagger, setting them aside before headed out the front door. The sun was setting over the horizon and the sky had turned that beautiful orange and pink color she loved before dusk, just before the stars started to show. She took in the sight for a moment as she always had done before she turned to her right and walked around the house finding Hod leaving the shack Ralof had mentioned.

"It's all ready for ya, just head on in." He smiled at her as they passed and she nodded her thanks once again. She entered the small building to find the round basin filled with clean water and a chamber pot in the corner as well as a small end table which held a wash rag and a towel for drying. She ran her fingers on the surface of the water in the basin and it rippled around them. The water was just warm enough to be comfortable. She was used to bathing in the hot springs centered in the marsh at Eastmarch. During midyear sometimes it would get too unbearably hot and she'd trade for the Black River and its cool waters that flowed through the land.

She stripped the cuirass from her body, the chainmail scraping her burnt skin as she sucked in air through gritted teeth at the slight pain. Her arms and shoulders were sore as she lifted the armor above and over her head. She took note of the multitude of bruises and sores forming on her body, it had been awhile since she had taken such a beating. She tried to determine which were from when she fought the Imperials and which were from the Dragon attack. She felt the large purple bruise on her ribs and winced as she remembered the Imperial who had kicked her there before. Other than the gash on her head, the bruise seemed to be the worst of her injuries. The rest were minor burns and cuts from her escape, all still slightly stinging when she moved. When she lowered herself into the basin she felt the soothing water envelop her and sooth her wounds as she noticed the collected herbs at the bottom. They must have been some sort of healing agent as she felt some parts of her nearly go numb from the contact. She relaxed in the water for a few moments before cleaning herself off with the provided wash rag that was on the table. The water began to turn a muggy brown color as she cleaned off all the soot and ash from her skin and hair. After she was done she almost couldn't see to the bottom of the basin anymore. She stepped from out of the water and began drying herself, careful not to disturb any of the healing wounds on her body. She dressed herself in the leather leggings and beige tunic Gerdur had provided for her, thankful she didn't have to wear a dress. She slipped on the fur foot wraps, adjusting their size to fit her smaller feet. She braided her hair as she always did and it fell over her shoulder as it always did when she bent down to gather her dirty clothes. She folded them and carried them out of the shack with her and walked back towards the house.

After Ralof had finished cleaning himself they had all sat down for some of the rabbit stew Gerdur had made. She made sure to compliment the woman's cooking skills. She had often made the same meal for herself when she had been alone and it never compared to what she was currently eating. She had thought it was one of the best things she'd ever had but she wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't eaten in days or because it was truly delicious. Regardless she finished all that was provided to her and helped Gerdur clean up the dirty plates and pots as Ralof sat with Gerdur and Hod's son Frodnar as he bombarded Ralof with a million questions about the dragon attack and the war that was taking place.

She had been oblivious to the current events in Skyrim and she told herself that after this was all over, she may have to start paying closer attention. Ralof had informed her that Ulfric Stormcloak was being accused of high treason for the murder of High King Torygg, though he believed it was all a misunderstanding on the Imperial's part. He didn't quite explain Ulfric's reasoning behind killing the king but she hadn't asked either. She honestly wanted no part of this civil war and would try her best to stay out of it. War was a product of man and his greed; she refused to take part in something she thought so evil.

When she and Gerdur were finished cleaning up their supper Aurora made a point to once again thank them for their hospitality. "I have never been treated as kind as your family as treated me. I am eternally grateful Gerdur. I would repay you in any way I can." She spoke softly to the older blonde woman. The closer she looked she could see the similarities between her and Ralof, though many of the fair haired nords looked the same to her.

"It is nothing dear. Anything for the person who helped our Ralof escape the Imperial's clutches. Though I have to ask since there is something you can do for me, for all of us here." Aurora nodded for her to continue. "The Jarl needs to know if there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless and we need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever troops he can. If you would do that for me, I'll be debt."

"Yes, anything to repay you as it seems a simple task; it won't be a problem at all. Afterwards I can make my way back towards Eastmarch." Aurora replied smiling.

"Good, thank you. You can stay here tonight with Ralof and head out in the morning with any supplies you may need for your trip; take whatever you need. Whiterun is not far from here but you never know what you'll run into on the way."

Aurora sat on her sleeping mat near the fire with her knees pulled to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Everyone had gone to sleep hours ago but she could not find the rest she needed. Every time she tried to sleep the images of the day's events flooded her eyes and she'd always reopen them with a shiver. Finally she gave up trying and just watched the fire flickering across from her.

"Can't sleep either?" She heard Ralof's voice behind her as he moved to join her on the floor, crossing his legs as he sat opposite of her. She shook her head while she rested her chin on the top of her knees. "Aye, it was something terrible we saw today. I still can't get the images out of my head. I've never been so scared in my life." Aurora could think of only one other moment she had been so afraid but she pushed the memories aside, fearful of the emotions that came with them. She looked at him as he stared into the fire and continued. "I wasn't sure we would make it out alive. I can only help but wonder if there was anyone else who made it. There were already so many dead before we entered that tower." He stated solemnly as he shook his head. "I just hope Ulfric made it out alive, if anyone knows what the coming of the Dragon means, it's Ulfric." She didn't respond to his words. He looked to her and nodded his head in her direction. "You know you should go to Windhelm and join the fight to free Skyrim. You've seen the true face of the Empire here today. I saw what you did to those Imperial's back at Darkwater Crossing. We could use someone like you." The edge of her mouth lifted in a small smirk at the mention of it. She hadn't wanted to fight them but she definitely knew how to protect herself, though she was not necessarily proud of what she had done over the last couple days.

"I'm not really much for fighting unless I have to." She stated, "I would rather just get that message to Whiterun and be on my way. Maybe everything can go back to normal."

"I'm not even sure if that's possible anymore. We saw a Dragon today, which is far from normal. I can only wonder what it all means." She shrugged her shoulders and couldn't help but ponder the same thing. "Well if you change your mind, go see Ulfric. I'm sure he will be happy to have you. I'll put in a good word for you, though I doubt you would need it. I know he saw you there too." She remembered the Jarl staring at her in the tree and a shiver went down her spine at the thought.

"Well thank you." She said, still not changing her mind about remaining neutral but decided to let the subject drop.

"Can I ask you something?" Ralof turned towards her and she nodded. "What were you doing there when we were ambushed?" She sighed before she spoke, thinking of the right answer but figured the truth had no harm to it.

"I was in the middle of a hunt, when I heard the fighting. I wanted to see what was going on, so to stay hidden I climbed that tree. The minute I decided to leave the damn branch broke and you know the rest. So really, I wasn't doing anything." She laughed a bit to herself as Ralof gave her a wide charming smile. "It started out like any other day for me. I cannot believe this is how it all ended. I think my mind is still trying to process everything, thinking maybe this is all some crazy dream I'm having."

"Well I can assure you this is all very real, though the Dragon doesn't seem to make it very convincing." She nodded in agreement with a small laugh. "Where are you from?" She thought on the question a moment before answering.

"I'm not really from anywhere specifically. I usually stayed on the move, but I guess you could say I'm from Eastmarch. I would often travel to The Rift though during the colder times of the year. I'm not really much for the cold." She stated.

"You're not a nord then?" He stated with small look of confusion on his face. "I think we nords excel in that kind of weather."

"According to my mother, I had a Nord father. Although I never knew him, and she had only met him once when I was conceived. He doesn't even know I exist." Aurora stated with a sad resolve in her voice as it became soft with the last sentence. Though she grew up fatherless her mother had more than enough love for her and taught her all the things a father would. She was always grateful for the life her mother had molded for her, even if she was lonely after her death.

"Was your mother not a nord?" Ralof questioned. She looked him in the eye trying to gauge his reaction before replying. She knew how the Nords felt about elves. That was why she often did not mingle with men.

"No, she was Bosmer, but as far as I know she had always been in Skyrim as have I. It may be homeland to the nords, but it feels just the same to me." She replied softly. His face did not change when he took in the recognition of her being of mixed race. She knew no matter where you were in Tamriel it was not exactly looked down upon but it was also not accepted as easily either.

"Aye, I can see it a bit." He said as the side of his mouth lifted.

"The ears give it away." She said as she lightly brushed her hair behind her right ear as if to show him the example with its slightly pointed tip. She had seen full blood elves and their ears were far larger and pointed higher but hers still did not look the same as humans.

"You have the eyes too. Not sure I've ever seen yellow eyes on a Nord before, but everyone is different." He said in a calm voice. She suddenly felt a bit more comfortable around him, feeling a sort of acceptance in his presence, something she had never felt before with another person.

They sat in silence for a few moments, both of them watching the fire as the flames licked the lumber and stone in the fireplace. She could not help but think of how odd it was that they took comfort in the small flames when only earlier they were avoiding the swarm of fires that surrounded Helgen. Soon Ralof broke the silence as he began to stand.

"Well we should both try and get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow. Don't head out too soon after stopping in Whiterun, it's a nice town. I think you will find the people there very welcoming." He stated as he walked behind her and patted her shoulder. She almost flinched from the contact but stopped herself, realizing it was only a friendly gesture. She waited a few moments before she finally lay back down on her mat. She continued to watch the flames until her eyes finally felt heavy enough and she fell into a restless sleep filled with nightmares of red burning eyes and a deep, dark, rumbling voice that kept calling out to her in an unfamiliar language.

The next morning Aurora had set out for Whiterun. Gerdur had informed her to just cross the bridge over the White River that was nestled up against the village and take the path to the right. She noticed the signs pointing the right direction the moment she crossed the bridge confirming Gerdur's directions and she began her journey, heading that way. The path followed the river and around the adjacent mountain twirling to the right and then around back towards the left where she could see her destination come into view in the distance. The most obvious part of the city was the towering Dragonsreach overlooking the rest of the town. It honestly looked breathtaking from her point of view. She had only been to Whiterun on a few occasions but she always thought it was a lovely city for its size. She found it was no wonder it was the considered the heart of Skyrim. Small farms as well as a few windmills, a brewery and a stable surrounded the town, all matching the stone framework of the buildings within Whiterun's walls. She could see most of the outer buildings as she started walking further down the path as it wound around the landscape.

Just before she reached the first set of buildings she passed three Imperial guards transporting what she only assumed was a Stormcloak prisoner, though the man was in rags so she could not tell. She made sure to keep her distance on the path as she bypassed them only hoping to not draw any attention, and silently whispered a thanks Gerdur for giving her some commoner clothes instead of making her wear the torn and burnt Stormcloak Cuirass she was wearing when she arrived in Riverwood. She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding when she finally passed the Imperial escort unnoticed and she continued on her way hoping for no other encounters.

As she passed the first few sets of buildings she felt the ground rumble underneath her. She stopped waiting for another tremor and her ears slightly perked when she felt another vibration under her feet. She had heard that one, and she knew that sound was all too familiar. She started moving more quickly as the vibrations continued and grew rougher the closer she grew to the source. She found the Giant she had suspected wreaking havoc in the crops of one of the nearby farms, bashing its large club into the ground. She drew her bow as she ran and when she noticed what the Giant was trying to hit with his weapon she ran a bit faster hoping she wasn't too late.

When she came upon the scene she soon noticed that maybe the people she thought to rescue were not necessarily in distress. She first noticed the big brute of a man, completely dressed in steel plated armor lined with fur underneath and he handled a great sword that he swung at the giant. The woman fighting alongside him appeared to be an imperial, but she could never tell, never paying much attention to race. The woman had short dark hair and was fighting with a much smaller sword than her partner.

The giant continued his assault on them bashing his club into the ground, aiming for the man, who continued to dart out of the way, slashing his sword at the giant every time the club came near him. The woman continued to attack from the sides but she did not appear to be the large creature's main target. As Aurora drew nearer she noticed the female archer in the background assisting them with her bow as she continuously shot arrows into the beasts back.

When Aurora was just close enough she readied her bow, setting an arrow in place and took aim at the giant. Though right before she fired the giant swung his club into the man with the great sword sending him flying into the ground and his sword slid away from him. Just as he rolled onto his back the giant approached raising his club to smash him underneath. In a split second Aurora changed her mark letting the arrow fly into the giant's hand that was holding the club. The arrow pierced through the hand causing him to drop his club with a roar and his other hand gripped the wrist of his now bleeding hand. As she fired another arrow the imperial woman jabbed her sword up and into his side underneath his ribs. Before the giant fell to his knees, the man had recovered his great sword and as the giant landed before him he swung his sword at the creature's throat and blood spurted out as the giant's upper body dropped to the ground.

They all sheathed their weapons, Aurora strapping her bow over her shoulders with the drawstring crossing her torso. She didn't particularly feel the long bow fit as well as her old hunting bow but she tried to ignore the discomfort as the other archer walking towards her while Aurora was trying to pull her arrow from the giants hand. When she came closer she noticed the woman was not wearing much. She had fur vest that was tied in the front over her chest, with shoulder pads and long fingerless gloves that reached up past her elbows underneath her bracers. Instead of pants she wore a fur skirt to match the rest of her armor and her leather boots were lined with fur that just reached her knees. She had fiery red hair reaching her shoulders and three streaks of war paint diagonally across her face.

"You handle yourself well. You could make for a decent Shield-Sister." The archer stated as if sizing Aurora up with a tone that seemed as if she was satisfied with what she saw.

"Thank you." Aurora said as she yanked out her arrow, glad she didn't snap it. She used a piece of clothing from the giant's armor and wiped the arrow clean of its blood. As she placed the arrow in her quiver she asked, "What is a Shield-Sister?" hoping she didn't sound too naïve.

"An outsider eh? Never heard of the companions?" Aurora inwardly cringed at the word outsider, already feeling a foreigner from her lack of knowledge on the subject. The shook her head at the woman's question before she continued to explain, "We're an order of warriors. We are brothers and sisters in honor and we show up to solve problems if the coin is good enough." Aurora couldn't help but go back to her stubborn thoughts of man's greed, though she made sure to take notice of the woman's mention of honor. She was unsure if she could describe herself as honorable but she felt she could at least say she was not dishonorable.

"Well it seems you are all very proud fighters. I'm sure you find it very comforting to be a part of something so highly acclaimed." Aurora commented, unsure of what else to say.

"We reside in Jorrvaskr, near Dragonsreach here in Whiterun. I'm sure if you speak with Kodlak Whitemane our Harbringer, he may give you a chance there. The old man's got a good sense for people. He can look in your eyes and tell your worth." Aurora nodded not sure what to say at the invitation. "My name is Aela, if you would like to head up there I'd be happy to introduce you." Aela stated as they began walking towards Whiterun together, with the other two warriors ahead of them.

"Thank you I appreciate the offer but I have to speak with Jarl Balgruuf. I have an important message for him from Riverwood." Aurora stated, trying to dodge the woman's proposition.

"Well I'm sure Jorrvaskr will still be there when you're done. If you decide you would like to take a look we'll gladly help you out." Aela said. "What's your name?" She thought if she should give her a fake name or not seeing as how Imperials may be looking for her, but she decided against it feeling it was safe enough. The imperials seemed to have more things to worry about.

"Aurora." She replied. Aela held out her hand and Aurora grabbed it with her own as they shook.

"Those two up there is Farkas and Ria." Aela stated, pointing towards the other two in front of them, though they were too far ahead to hear their conversation. "They are both real nice people, I am sure you would get along." Aurora smiled at how friendly the woman was. However she couldn't help but have nervous thoughts in the back of her head, wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind her kindness.

When they reached Whiterun's gates a guard stopped her and Aela. "Companion, who is this traveler with you." Aela looked to Aurora who replied for her to the guard.

"I am here because Riverwood calls for the Jarl's aid." Aurora stated matter of factly.

"Riverwood is in danger too? Alright you better go on in." He turned towards Aela before he spoke again, "Will you point her towards Dragonsreach?" Aela nodded and they continued into the city as the guard opened the large wooden gates for them.

As soon as she walked through the city's perimeter she saw a tall nord dressed in imperial armor conversing with what she assumed was a smith in front of her forge. She stiffened as they passed but he paid her no attention. Aela took notice of Aurora's odd behavior as she stared at Idalof Battle-Born when they passed, but she swatted any peculiar thoughts aside thinking there could be a plethora of reasons she looked him up and down. The man was rather attractive after all being your typical nord man; even Aela had at once indulged herself with those fruits at some point.

As they reached the wind district, Aela headed off for Jorrvaskr after pointing Aurora towards the stairs leading to Dragonsreach. As Aurora walked around the large tree that the courtyard surrounded she took note of the priest yelling in front of the statue of Talos. He rambled on about the God and she couldn't help but ask herself if he was just a bit mad. Though as he continued she only chuckled to herself at how ridiculous the man sounded.

She made her way up the four flights of stairs leading to the wooden bridge that crossed over to the large, front doors of Dragonsreach. A guard patrolled the bridge and he saluted her as she walked and she returned a small smile before she pushed upon the doors. She cringed as the hinges made a loud squeaking sound, noticing it was disturbing the peace inside the building. She tried to silently close the doors behind her, hoping she was not making a fool of herself or causing unwanted attention.

She turned around after the doors finally shut closed, and she took in the large throne room. There were wooden pillars on both sides of her holding up a second level above. Three large decorative carpets littered the entry way, one leading to the wooden stairs in front of her. She climbed the stairs and couldn't help but look around her in awe of the magnificent structure. She had never seen such beautiful architecture and her mouth was slightly open while her eyes darted around the features surrounding her. When she reached the top of the stairs, she first noticed the large square fire pit in the center of the room, a fire ablaze within it, giving the room a warm feeling. Tables lined the sides of the fire and they contained a multitude of dishes and dinnerware. Yellow banners hung over the columns with the Whiterun seal plastered on them. And above her the ceiling arched with wooden supports giving the whole room a very open feel.

As she walked closer towards the throne, she was so fascinated by the room she hadn't see the dunmer woman approaching. When the woman spoke she jumped suddenly being pulled from her reverie.

"What's the meaning of this interruption?" The dunmer stated harshly. She had her sword drawn and she wore brown leather armor with her red hair pulled back in a half ponytail. "Jarl Balgruff is not receiving visitors." Aurora stuttered a moment as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"Uh, sorry, Gerdur sent me. Riverwood is in danger and calls for the Jarl's aid." Aurora finally got out.

"As housecarl, my job is to deal with all dangers that threaten the Jarl or his people." The dunmer stated. "So you have my attention. Now, explain yourself." She stated with a cutting tone.

"A dragon destroyed Helgen." Aurora replied and the dunmer straightened in realization as she sheathed her weapon and spoke.

"You know about Helgen? The Jarl will want to speak with you personally. Approach." The last word came out as command and Aurora quickly followed her up the steps in front of the throne where a blonde bearded man lounged in the chair, seeming not to have a care in the world. When she stood in front of him he finished the conversation he was having with the imperial man to his right before turning to her to speak.

"So…you were at Helgen? Did you see this dragon with your own eyes?" He asked her and she nodded replying with a "Yes sir" before he exclaimed, "By Ysmir, Irileth was right!" He turned to the man he was conversing with beforehand and the two men as well as the dunmer housecarl fought about their next course of action and Aurora couldn't help but stand silently finding the whole situation awkward. Finally the Jarl silenced them. "I will not idly stand by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people!" He turned to his housecarl ordering her to send more men to Riverwood and she complied, bowing as she walked away. The other man excused himself and Aurora was left standing in front of the Jarl unsure of what to say or do as she looked at the dragon skull hanging on the wall above the throne, mesmerized by the size of it. The Jarl turned to her, catching her attention when he spoke. "Well done. You sought me out on your own initiative." She opened her mouth to object seeing it was Gerdur that had sent her but he cut her off as he continued. "You've done Whiterun a service, and I won't soon forget it. He motioned for a guard to approach and directed him to a chest in the corner where the guard withdrew from it some studded imperial armor, then walked over to hand it to her.

"Oh…no, I can't accept this." She said as she shook her head at him and turned towards the Jarl.

"Please, take this as only a small token of my esteem." He insisted and she looked at him with a hesitant look on her face her eyes wide and lips slightly parted. He let out a small laugh and stood from his throne. "Well if you refuse there is another thing you could do for me. Suitable for someone of your particular talents, perhaps." He said turning the statement into a question with his tone. The guard with the armor stepped back and the Jarl motioned for her to follow him. They walked back down the set of steps that led to the throne and he guided her over towards a room off to the right. "Come, let us go find Farengar, he's my court wizard. He's been looking into a matter related to these dragons…or rumors of dragons I suppose." She let out a sigh as she felt that she may not get to go back to her normal life as soon as she had wanted.

* * *

**A/N: Second chapter, I hope it does justice. I've tried not to fill it with too much in game dialogue though some things I feel are kind of hard to avoid. I still try to add regular conversation outside the in game stuff so it seems a bit more real and adds its own touch to it. Don't forget to give feedback/reviews it definitely helps me move forward! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Aurora stormed down the steps leading to Dragonsreach, grumbling to herself the whole way. When she had agreed to help the Jarl, she didn't think he would be sending her to the ancient Nord ruin Ralof had specifically warned her about on their escape to Riverwood. She remembered looking at the ominous arched structures built into the mountainside that Ralof had called Bleak Falls Barrow. She found the name fitting. The minute the court wizard spoke the name, shivers ran down her spine, and she almost declined, but when she looked to the Jarl, he had a rather expectant look on his face. She still had not wanted to retrieve this so called "Dragonstone", but she sucked up her slight fear, and reluctantly agreed. She still was unsure of what the tablet had to do with a dragon returning, and she felt like more of an errand girl than anything. She once again swore to herself once all this was said, and done she would just go back to her simple life like nothing had ever happened.

It was early evening, and the sun was making its way closer to the horizon. The Jarl had made sure to mention she makes haste in retrieving the artifact, but she figured it would be best to wait until morning. As she passed through the Wind district around the large tree, and down into the Plains district, she noticed the inn set off to the left of the market. She took note of the sign outside the inn, "Banned Mare". It seemed like a rather cozy name; she was sure it was named just so to welcome travelers such as herself, so she put on a small smile as she pushed through the doors. It was warm from the fire in the center of the room with a few of the townsfolk gathered around it. The innkeeper hollered a greeting at her, and she nodded her head in acknowledgment. There was a bard on the other side of the fire playing a drum adding to the ambiance of the room.

She walked over to the bar where the innkeeper greeted her once again asking if there was anything she could do. "Do you have any rooms available?" Aurora asked just barely audible over the sound of the bard.

"Of course, it's ten septims for a night." Aurora stopped for a moment, hoping she had some septum in her bag. She dug through the pack only to find the food, and a few potions Gerdur had provided for her. She looked back to the innkeeper who gave her a smile as she noticed the anxiety on Aurora's face.

"Well, if it's work you need, how about chopping up some wood for the fires?" Aurora felt a bit of relief as the innkeeper pointed her towards the front door instructing her on where she would find the wood, and axe she needed. Aurora walked back out the front doors, and looked to her left where some already chopped wood surrounded a stump with an axe stuck into the middle. She made her way over, grabbing some of the full pieces of lumber, and began chopping away, having to swing the axe completely over her head to make a clean cut. She continued for a few minutes before a gruff voice interrupted her.

"Didn't expect to see you out here." She hadn't recognized the voice, but when she looked up, she saw the large man that she had helped earlier with the giant. She held the axe in her left hand while she pushed her hair back with her right as the man approached. When he stood before her in front of the stump, she took in his dark features. He had shoulder length hair that was completely black, matching the war paint smeared over his eyes that stood out in contrast from silver or grayish blue of his irises. The man stood over a foot taller than her, and had wide shoulders, and thick arms. He was very intimidating to say the least, but he had a friendly demeanor when he spoke to her. "Hulda has you chopping' wood for her, eh?"

"Uh, yeah, I didn't have any money for a room so she offered me some work to compensate." The man nodded in understanding, and Aurora wiped her brow before placing a new chunk of wood on the stump.

"You know I'm sure Kodlak wouldn't mind if you stayed at Jorrvaskr for the night. It's the least I could offer for your help earlier. I woulda been hurt pretty badly if it wasn't for your quick thinking." She smiled up at him after she swung the axe down through the wood.

"I believe anyone would have done the same." She replied, readying another piece of wood.

"I could walk you up there if you like?" He insisted, and she looked up at him on his proposal.

"I'm not sure." She started with a hesitant tone in her voice. "The innkeeper was generous enough to let me do this for a room, I'd feel bad for not staying here."

"Ah, Hulda won't mind. I'm about to head in there to grab some mead to bring back to the hall. I'll just let her know you're heading back with me." Before she could protest, he turned away, and headed into the inn. She stood there for a moment, trying to process exactly what just happened.

"I guess I'm sleeping at Jorrvaskr tonight." She mumbled to herself as she stuck the axe into the stump, similar to how she found it, and began gathering up the wood, stacking them in neat piles against the wall of the inn. When the man exited through the front doors, he was carrying a couple crates stacked on top of each other filled with bottles of mead, and he jerked his head in a motion to signal her to join him. When she was at his side, they began walking together, and she asked if he needed help carrying the crates in his arms.

"Nah, I can handle it, gotta be good for something." He grinned as he looked down at her, and she smiled back, brushing her hair behind her ear. To avoid any awkward silence, she tried her hand at starting a conversation when they reached the stairs leading to the Wind district.

"Your name is Farkas right?" She asked, trying to remember the name Aela had given her.

"Yeah, that's me. What's your name?" He asked in reply.

"Aurora."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sure everyone will be glad to have you, you seem nice." She thanked him , blushing before he continued. "What brings you to Whiterun?" He asked.

"I had a message to deliver to the Jarl, I had every intention of heading out afterwards, but he asked me to retrieve something for his court wizard. I'll probably make my way towards Bleak Falls Barrow in the morning."

"Bleak Falls Barrow?" He said, raising his eyebrows in small surprise. "Kinda dangerous for someone to be traveling through alone dontchya think?" He questioned, alarm in his voice.

"I honestly don't know much about the place, just that it's an ancient Nord ruin or something of the sort. I saw it on my way through Riverwood yesterday, so I think I know how to get there. I can handle myself decently enough, I suppose, enough to make it through alive." He nodded, his brows slightly scrunched together in concern.

As they reached the mead hall, she opened the door for him, and as they walked through the doors, they noticed some commotion going on to the left of the hall. She looked to see what was going on, and she saw a woman in hide armor fist fighting a male Dunmer in similar clothing. The people around them hovered, with some making bets others yelling pointers to the two. She looked at the scene, confusion plastered on her face, and when she turned back to ask Farkas what was going on, he was already headed to the other side of the hall with the crates of mead. She slowly walked towards the fight, taking it all in. She wondered if anyone would stop them, but they all seemed to be enjoying the show, so she stood there awkwardly, and let them finish their fight. Finally the woman knocked the Dunmer down, and just as she pulled her arm for another punch he held his hand up, calling yield. As he stood the onlookers all went their separate ways. A male voice drew her attention, and when she turned she saw a man who didn't look older than fifty, with a long gray ponytail despite his baldness, and armor that had wolves embellished into his steel armor. Though the most obvious feature was his left eye, that was completely white from blindness, and it made his whole appearance look rather fearsome.

"Haven't seen your face before." He said to her. Before she could reply, she felt a hand clasp around her shoulder, and she looked to see Aela standing at her side.

"This is Aurora, she's the one I was telling you about." Aela said to the man, and Aurora felt a small bit of relief from not having to explain her presence. "So, changed your mind did you?" Aurora stuttered before the man spoke.

"So you think you have what it takes huh?" He eyed her up, and down with a concentrated look on his face. It made her feel naked to be under the man's scrutiny, and she repressed a shiver. Aela started guiding her towards the right of the room, past the tables surrounding the fire pit that centered the room.

"Come on, I'll introduce to you to the old man." Aurora continued to stutter in protest, but Aela ignored her pleas. She looked around the room for Farkas, and couldn't find him anywhere so she just let Aela lead her down a set of stairs against the right wall that ended at a set of double doors. She pushed through the doors, and they were in the large stone hallway with curved ceilings, and red runners that lead all different directions on the floor. Aela took her towards the end of the hall into a room with another set of open double doors, and the room looked similar to that of a study. Before they entered, she noticed the two men in the corner quietly conversing with looks of distress on their faces. They both straightened as the two women approached.

"I see you've brought a stranger into our hall." The older man spoke. He had a long gray beard to match his hair, giving him an older look. She couldn't quite tell how old the man really was, though she could sense the wisdom brought on by years of experience in his face. He also had a blind eye like the man she had spoken to moments before, and she couldn't help, but wonder if it was just merely coincidence. The man spoke with a knowing tone when he spoke to Aela, and Aurora couldn't help, but think he seemed like the leader Aela had earlier described him as.

"Harbinger, this is Aurora. She's the one who saved Falkas today from that giant." Aela stated giving Aurora a small push towards the man. She tentatively moved forward towards the older man, and she took notice the other man who was sitting against the adjacent wall. She was taken aback by the striking familiarity he had to Farkas. They both had the black hair, and war paint as well as the silver blue eyes. However, this man did not have the same build. He was still toned, she could tell, under the same wolf armor of the man she met upstairs. He was a bit shorter, though it was not by much, though she found it difficult to tell while he was seated. Though where Farkas had a friendly demeanor this man looked more troubled. He did not look to her at any point since she entered the room so she turned her attention back to the Harbinger.

"Here, let me have a look at you." Aela gave her another small push, and she took a step towards the older man, her fingers twining together with her elbows bent, showing her nervousness. The man took her in, and she tried not to look him in the eye as he stared. When she finally raised her eyes to his, he held her gaze for a moment before speaking. "Hm…yes, perhaps. She has a certain strength of spirit." She released her breath, which she didn't know at the time she was holding, and the tension in her shoulders released. Then the tension nearly came back with a force when the dark man sitting opposite them spoke.

"Master, you're truly not considering accepting her?" He spoke the last word with disdain, and she flinched inwardly. Aela rested her hand on her shoulder, glaring at the dark man before the Harbinger replied.

"I am nobody's master, Vilkas. Last I checked we had some empty beds in Jorrvaskr for those with a fire burning in their hearts." Aurora looked back at Aela who was still staring daggers at the man, so she turned back towards the other two.

"Apologies." The man said sincerely, but then continued anyways. "But perhaps this isn't the time. I've never even heard of this outsider." He said gesturing towards her. That was the second time she had heard that word today, and she breathed in deeply at the sound. She hated that word with a passion, and it made her want to strike the man for saying it. She continued to breathe deeply to calm her rising anger as Aela stood up for her.

"You know you should be a bit more welcoming. She did after all save your brother from getting his head bashed in. You could at least give her a chance." Vilkas turned away from her, a scowl still on his face.

"You know I don't really mean to cause so much trouble, I can just be on my way…" She said as she pointed her thumbs back behind her, trying to take a step back, but Aela stopped her, and interrupted.

"Nonsense. Don't listen to Vilkas. Harbinger, what do you have to say?" Aela turned towards the older man, and he replied with wisdom coating his voice.

"Sometimes the famous come to us. Sometimes they come to seek their fame. It makes no difference. What matters is her heart." Aela smiled before Vilkas replied under his breath, but loud enough for them to hear.

"And her arm." Kodlak nodded in agreement, and turned to her.

"Of course. How are you in battle young one?" Kodlak asked her. She stood there silent gauging everyone's reactions, shifting her eyes between them before speaking.

"Um, well, I suppose I can handle myself?" She replied softly.

"You don't seem too confident." Vilkas said to her cockily. Kodlak turned to Vilkas as he spoke.

"Vilkas, why don't you take her to the training yard, and test her arm?" Aurora's eyes widened as she looked to the dark man who agreed. As he stood Aurora nearly froze on the spot. She wasn't sure she was ready to fight someone, let alone the man standing in front of her. Her assumption on his height was right when he finally stood his full height, and she had to tilt her head back slightly to look at him. The top of her head comming up just past his chin, and she shivered from the idea of having to fight him. He moved towards the end of the hall, and Aela grabbed her hand moving her with them.

Aurora was extraordinarily nervous. She fumbled with her fingers as they walked, and when they reached the back doors of the mead hall Aela grabbed a significant amount of attention from the rest of her comrades as they followed them out the door into the courtyard. There were tables set up on the patio with food, and drink. She spotted Farkas, who was already out there, and he stood as they passed him. He smiled down at her, and she felt a bit more confident as Aela nudged her into the empty training yard where there were target dummies lining the wall. Vilkas walked to a rack filled with training weapons, and he spoke to her over his shoulder.

"Pick out your weapon whelp." He said, motioning to the swords on the rack.

"I can't use a bow?" She asked timidly as she stared at the beautiful hunting bows lined on the wall near him. He turned, and glared at her in disbelief.

"No, you can't use a bow. I need to see your combat skills not your archery, that's what Aela is for." He said gesturing to Aela who gave him a mean face before he turned back to picking out a weapon. Aurora seethed. All she knew how to use were daggers, but she could just as efficiently use a bow in combat. She turned towards Aela who motioned for her to continue with a shooing motion with her hands. Aurora stood there a moment as Vilkas' back was turned to her. She had never used a sword, she never needed to. She did just fine with her bow, and she was about to prove it. She gained some courage, and drew her long bow pulling an arrow from her quiver, and quickly aiming next to Vilkas. She fired the arrow, and he startled as the arrow struck the dummy that was inches from his head. He turned to her, his obvious anger boiling to the surface. "Are you crazy woman?"

She folded her arms, and took a defensive stance as she replied, "I'm using a bow." She stated carefully articulating each word. "I can use it in combat just as well." He grumbled as he turned, and drew out a one handed sword, and shield.

"Fine, but don't expect me to go any easier on you." He grumbled something about her at least not using magic as he walked towards her. She decided to ditch her long bow for one of the hunting bows on the rack against the wall. She found one similar to her old bow, but had metal tips at the curve to hold the string, and give the bow some strength. She picked it up, and twirled it in her hands before deciding on it.

She moved to stand in front of an impatient Vilkas, and she looked to her left to see many of the companions watching from the patio. Aela, and Farkas both had an expectant, and excited look on their faces, and it raised her confidence a bit. She took a fighting stance as Vilkas spoke.

"Just take a few…swings or whatever you plan on doing with that thing, so I can see your form. Don't worry about me, I can take a hit." She nodded at him, and he raised his weapon, and shield. She ran at him, and he braced his shield against him. She kicked the shield with her right leg, and he staggered back as she swung her left hand, bow in her grip horizontally, at his nose, and he blocked with his sword, knocking her hand, and bow away. She twirled the bow in her hand since he loosened her grip on it with his block, she jabbed one of the metal ends into his gut. He knocked the bow away again with his sword after it had made contact, and she spun trying to kick him again with her opposite foot. This time he was prepared, and shoved back with his shield catching her off balance, sending her away with her back to him. He came at her with his sword, but she quickly spun around, going down on one knee hooking his sword in the curved metal end of her bow, flipping it, and sending his sword tip towards the ground. He brought his sword back up swinging at her head, and she quickly ducked as she swung a leg under him, knocking him off his feet, and dropping his shield.

She jumped up, and he grunted as he swung his weight to his upper body, pushing up as his body leaped off the ground with an arch, and he landed on his feet. She smiled at his little trick before swinging her bow at his face with a yell. He jerked his upper body back, dodging her swing, then brought his sword up at her, and she kicked at the bottom of the blade, knocking his hand back, but he used the momentum of her kick to spin around, and come at her from his other side. She caught his sword once again with her bow vertically switching it in her right hand, and flipped it down, sending his sword away from her, and she jabbed at him once again when she swung the bottom of the bow up towards him. This time he grabbed her bow, and with a startled look on her face, he smiled as he yanked her forward with the bow twisting her around so her back was to him, and he held her pressed against his chest with her bow tight to her vertically. He brought his sword to her neck with his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Before his sword got too close she lifted her arms, and dipped down, releasing herself from his hold. She elbowed him in the gut, and quickly brought her elbow to cradle against her torso from the pain caused by the impact on his steel armor. He staggered just a bit from the impact of her blow, but he quickly recovered ready to throw her to the ground. She heard him coming, and mustered her strength, and turned around swinging her bow in her right hand as she turned hitting him in the back of his right knee. He dropped on his knee, his other foot still on the ground, and immediately after he fell she shifted on her knees behind him, and quickly stood as she wrapped her bow around his neck, and jerked back, his head coming against his torso. She thought she had him, but was quickly mistaken when he grabbed her bow with both of his hands on each side of hers, and flipped her over him. She landed on her back with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of her. She soon felt the blade of his sword against her throat, and she looked up through blurry vision to see him standing there, breathing heavy above her. She held up her hands in surrender, and he withdrew his sword.

He walked away from her, and she slowly got up, trying to take small breaths to get some air into her lungs from her fall. When she finally stood on wobbly legs, she picked up her bow, and looked at him. His arms were crossed, and he had a smug look on his face that made her want to smack him again. She stretched her back, bending back trying to soothe the ache he caused, and as she approached him. He eyed her up, and down. He raised an eyebrow before he finally spoke to her.

"Not bad." He said in conclusion. "I've never even seen Aela handle her bow like that." He turned to look at the woman, and she was grinning at him along with his brother Farkas. "Next time I won't be so easy." Aurora nodded at him, still catching her breath. He continued to stare at her as she composed herself. "You might just make it here." He made sure to put an emphasis into the word might as he spoke. "But for now, you're still just a whelp to us, so you do what we tell you." She nearly scoffed at him as he spoke more harshly, and she opened her mouth to object. He stopped her, and shoved his sword into her hands, and she stumbled back a bit. "Take this up to Eorlund in the morning to have it sharpened." He began to walk away, then stopped, and added, "And be careful, it's probably worth more than you are." She nearly threw the thing at him as he walked away, but stopped herself as Aela approached with Farkas, and the bald man.

"That was one hell of a fight. I think it was high time he got a beating like that." Aela said patting her on the shoulder.

"Don't let Vilkas hear you saying that." The bald man stated.

"Is he always so…" Aurora paused to find the right words, but the three all tried to find the word for her.

"Angry?"

"Harsh?"

"Annoying?" She laughed at the three responses then replied.

"Um, brooding."

Farkas replied, rubbing the back of his neck, "Yeah, he's always been like that, but just ignore him, he'll come around." She nodded, and looked at the sword in her hands. "I know you gotta head out in the morning, but the Skyforge is right up there." He pointed behind her, where above, there was a large statue of a hawk that was overlooking the mead hall. "Eorlund will be there early in the morning so it should only take a couple of minutes." She nodded, and they all walked her back towards the mead hall. Before they entered, she set Vilkas' sword, along with the bow, up against the wall, and made a mental note to take care of it before she left in the morning. Not that she thought it would matter in the long run, but she didn't want anyone to be upset with her so she just resolved to do it anyways.

Farkas led her to the tables that centered the hall, and had her sit next to him as he handed her a bottle of mead. She had never drunk much before, seeing as it wasn't entirely available to her, but she gratefully accepted it from him. She bit the cork, and pulled as it made a popping sound when the bottle opened, and Farkas just simply yanked his cork out with his bare hands. He held his bottle up to her, and she stared at him in confusion. He laughed, and clinked his bottle to hers, then took a drink. Still confused, she drank from the bottle, and enjoyed the refreshing feel of it gliding down her throat. It tasted delicious, and felt she needed it after her spar with Vilkas. She set her bottle down, and he handed her a plate of food as he started conversing with her.

"So you think you might stay a bit longer then?" He asked her.

"Oh, I don't know. Aela just kinda jumped on me when I walked in, and dragged me downstairs to see your Harbinger." He nodded in understanding, taking another drink from his mead as she continued. "I still have to leave in the morning, but if I find what the court mage is looking for I'll have to at least come back to drop it off. I might stay again then." She actually considered her own words, and they really had not seemed like a bad idea.

"Well, you're always welcome. You definitely know how to handle yourself; you'd make a great Shield-Sister." Her cheeks warmed at his compliment, and she thanked him. She brushed her hair behind her ear, and he took notice of its odd form. His curiosity got the best of him, and he asked about it. "You have some elf blood in you?" She froze at his question, but before she could respond Aela took the seat behind Aurora, and spoke up for her.

"Farkas! You can't just go around asking people stuff like that." Aurora turned to her, and smiled slightly in thanks. "Sorry, his brother ended up with the brains believe it or not." Aurora giggled, and then covered her mouth when she turned back towards Farkas who had a blank expression. She quickly recovered, and she shoved some bread in her mouth to stifle the awkwardness.

"Yeah, yeah. Though Sjkor says I have the strength of Ysgramor." He said as he raised his arms, and flexed his biceps. She laughed at his cocky display, making her forget his previous comment. She looked past him to see Vilkas sitting at one of the tables that sat angled against their own, and he was staring at their exchange. She caught his eyes, but they both quickly looked away, avoiding any further awkwardness. She turned her attention back to Aela who insisted on telling everyone in the hall about their experience with the giant earlier that day. Aurora couldn't help but blush as she got to the part about her shooting an arrow through its hand. Everyone cheered at the end of the story, raising their drinks, and Aurora caught on quickly as she did the same. They all continued sharing stories, drinking, and eating. She had never felt this type of companionship before, and it warmed her. It was either that or the mead she was quickly consuming. After her third bottle she felt a buzz from the drink, and decided she should head to bed before she overdid herself. Farkas led her down to where the companions slept, just across from the stairs leading to the basement hall. She looked in the room, and saw there were about eight beds lined against the wall that she could count, and he told her it didn't matter which she chose. So she picked one in the left hand corner, and said goodnight to the man smiling at him as he walked away. She pulled off her shoes, and set her pack next to them before she tucked herself under the covers. She stared at the ceiling as she replayed the day's events in her head once again until finally her eyes fell closed, and sleep took her.

* * *

The next morning she woke up rather early, there were still a few companions sleeping in their beds when she decided to get up. She sat on the bed, and untangled her hair before re-braiding it. When she was satisfied with how her hair was tied, she made her bed to look the same way it had the previous night. She slipped on her shoes, and pack before heading upstairs as quietly as she could. When she reached the top she looked at the nearly empty mead hall. There was an older woman she had noticed the night before sweeping on the far end of the room as well as an older man with dark complexion, and grey hair sitting at the table sipping a drink, and reading a book. She began to move towards the back doors when a deep voice spoke making her jump as she turned to see who was speaking.

"Good, you're awake." It was Vilkas, who was sitting in a chair up against the wall. The wall had hidden him from her sight when she had originally surveyed the room. "Eorlund is already up there, just leave my sword with him, and he'll take care of the rest." She thought about replying to him, and stopped herself, but then as she turned to walk away she second guessed her decision, and twirled back towards him.

"I hope you don't expect me to wait for it, I do have somewhere I need to be." She said in a clipped tone. He let out a small laugh as he replied.

"And where in oblivion would that be?" He asked with a smart ass tone. She had wanted to smack him before, and now she wishes she would have hit him with that purposely missed arrow from before their fight.

"The Jarl's court mage is sending me to Bleak Falls Barrow to retrieve some sort of artifact or something." She twirled her hand in the air as she spoke to add emphasis to her lack of knowledge on the tablet.

"Well, don't get yourself killed, if you fight like you did last night you may not last long." She ground her teeth together at his remark, and he leisurely took a sip from the mug next to him, looking at her over the brim of his cup while he did.

"I was unable to use arrows last night. I think I'll be fine, or did you forget the arrow that nearly took your head off?" She asked with a smirk.

"No, I remember it quite clearly, however, I don't know if that means you have really good aim or really bad aim. Let us hope for your sake it's the former." She blew air out her nose in a half laugh as she turned her face away from him.

"You know I didn't ask to fight you last night." She shot back at him.

"Nobody in their right mind would." He stated smugly. "Why did you come here, if not to learn, and practice fighting?" She pondered his question for a moment, not really having an answer. She swallowed loudly before replying.

"I didn't really come here for anything. Your brother, and Aela invited me out of the kindness of their hearts. I'm sure that's something you don't understand." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and she almost covered her mouth from the shock of her harsh words, but her eyes grew wide nonetheless. This is why she stayed away from people, this man was the whole reason she lived in solitude for years. Before he could reply, she quickly turned, and darted out the door before she could hear anything he had to say.

The doors slammed behind her loudly, and she quickly looked to her left to find his sword, and the bow she used, still resting against the wall. She grabbed them both, quickly swinging the bow over her shoulder, and she ran up to the forge hoping he would not follow. When she reached the top of the forge she saw the blacksmith, and she quickly looked behind her to see if Vilkas was trailing her. She let out a sigh of relief to notice he had not exited the hall, and she continued towards the man known as Eorlund so she could just hurry up, and leave. At this point she welcomed anything Bleak Falls Barrow had to offer her. Anything would be better than this.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I really hope the fight scene made sense. For any of you have seen the show Arrow, that was the type of fighting style I was going for. He often uses his bow as a melee weapon too, and a lot of hand to hand combat. I actually really admire it so I planned on adding that to her character as she is supposed to be very skilled with the weapon. Anyways Review, and Favorite! Thanks again for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

The open cave had a musky smell. There were waterfalls on the other side of the cave and water from the condensation dripped from the ceiling and pillars. There was mold on the rocks that lined the cave and Aurora almost covered her nose from the smell of it. The rest of the ruin hadn't smelled nearly as bad as this, even with the decaying bodies lining the tombs on the walls. Though she hadn't expected any of those bodies capable of moving. She nearly had a heart attack when the first skeleton got up and threateningly stalked towards her. She was lucky to find that they simply crumbled after merely a few hits to the ribs or a quick arrow to the skull. After the first group she easily picked them off before they even awoke.

The bandits were another story, also something she hadn't quite anticipated, but it wasn't as if she had never dealt with them before. They roamed much of Skyrim and she often had to test her combat and archery skills when she crossed their paths. The Dunmer she found stuck in the large spider web was separate from his fellow bandits. After releasing him from the web trap, he quickly fled, yelling something about a treasure at the end of the ruin. When she encountered the live skeletons she had found him slain by one of the ancient Nord swords they carried. On his person, she found a golden claw with three symbols resembling a bear, a dragonfly, and an owl. She had kept the thing just out of mere curiosity (and the fact it was solid gold), but later found it had its use for one of the old Nord puzzle doors at the entry to the cave she was currently trekking through. She felt relief at having the instinct to keep the object and she made sure to put it safely back in her pack in case of future uses.

As she neared the end of the cave there was a small bridge crossing over to an area that did not look naturally part of the cave. There was a large stone wall that curved in a half circle and had what she thought looked like a flat dragon skull embellishment on the surface of the wall. There were etchings on the bottom part of the wall, but she paid no attention to them at first. She was more focused on the single sarcophagus that sat opposite the wall with a chest to its right and a shelf holding some sort of large gem, which she pocketed, and a bottle of poison she also kept to later use for her arrows. She migrated to the chest and to her surprise it was not locked. She kneeled down and rummaged through it finding some septims, jewelry and a bit of armor. She placed the valuables in her back, but she continued to search for the tablet she was hoping to find in the chest. There was nothing. She slammed the chest lid, aggravated that she had yet to come across this ancient artifact Farengar had sent her for and she was beginning to think she was going on some wild goose chase for a mythical tablet. When she slammed the chest lid it made a large sound that echoed through the cave and she heard some bats flutter about on the other side. The other noise she heard grated against her spine as she turned to her left and saw the lid to the sarcophagus open. She quickly got to her feet to see what was making its way out of the coffin and when she saw another skeleton she pulled her dagger from her boot. Before the atrocity could climb out, she tried to stab it through the skull. To her surprise, it grabbed her wrist before she made contact and it slowly stood while holding her hand in place. She tried to yank away, but its bony fingers held her firmly in its grip. As a wave of panic surged through her, she punched the skeleton and his grip weakened and she yanked her hand away but in the process dropped her dagger. The creature shook its head from her punch and she quickly backed away as it continued its pursuit. It withdrew the large ancient great sword from the sheath on its back and charged at her. She backed up nearly running and tripped backwards on the small set of stairs leading to the sarcophagus. She continued to move backwards on the floor using her elbows and feet as it swung its sword down at her. She rolled over to her right and when its sword hit the ground with a loud clang, she kicked at its knees and they buckled as she quickly got back to her feet. Standing in front of it, she readied her bow and sent an arrow flying into its ribs. The skeleton stood and turned to her, icy blue eyes blazing and opened its mouth. The next minute she heard the loud cracking sound of thunder as she was flown back into the large curved wall. Her back hit it with a hard blow and she fell to the floor completely out of breath. Her vision blurred and darkened and she began to hear voices in her head. She shook her head thinking the blow must have been much harder than she even thought, but she tried to clear her mind as the creature came at her again. She saw her bow was just in arms reach and she snatched it before the sword came barreling down at her again. She held her bow above her to block the attack and it splintered in the middle. It raised its arms again for a second blow and she kicked her feet at its pelvic bone. It staggered back and she crawled away, still weary from the shock of hitting the wall.

Once again, the skeleton regained its composure all too quickly and she crawled faster diving down another set of stairs and hiding behind the stone platform the chest sat on. She tried to catch her breath as she looked at her damaged bow. Shooting anything with it was out of the question. The creature appeared to her right and she quickly darted away again, but not quick enough to avoid the tips of its sword grazing her right arm. She pushed herself to her feet while clutching her arm as blood spilled from the wound. The wound hurt worse than any cut she had felt before. It burned, but not the type of burn you would receive from playing with fire. No, this was an ice-cold burn, the same kind she would get when her bare skin held contact with the snow for too long in the middle of Evening Star, when Skyrim was its coldest. She had no weapons and this thing seemed to have some sort of magical power radiating from its weapon and she couldn't forget what it did when it shouted at her.

Feeling hopeless, she knew all she could do at this point was to try and dodge the attacks. She continued rounding the platform, hearing its boney feet clatter against the stone floor of the cave. As she ran up the stairs facing the round wall again, the voices in her head returned and she almost cried from it. She was so flustered already and it made her feel as if she was going mad. She fell to her knees, almost giving up. When she landed, she looked over to her left and saw the dagger she had dropped earlier. She turned her head to see the skeleton approaching and she dove over to the dagger, snatching it with that hand of her uninjured arm and threw. She had never been overly accurate with her left hand and she only hoped the dagger would meet its target. Her eyes followed the blade as it spun through the air and connected with one of the skeleton's glowing blue eyes. She released the breath she was holding and the skeleton fell back as its bones crumbled and some flew apart, while others were held together by the armor. She slowly and cautiously crawled over to the skeleton, just to make sure it was actually dead (or more so than it already was). When she approached it, she noticed the flat stone tablet stuck within its ribs and she chuckled to herself in disbelief as she split open the rib cage and yanked it out. She dusted it off to see the markings on it, not at all understanding what they meant. She shuffled back over to where her pack was next to the chest and after she put the Dragonstone safely among her things she leaned back against the now open sarcophagus with her right foot under her left knee. She closed her eyes, composing herself and breathing in through her nose and out her mouth, trying to steady her raging heartbeat from the fight. Her back ached and her arm was still burning slightly, but had stopped bleeding for the most part. She sat that way for a few moments with her blood stained hands in her lap, still as could be and she reveled in the silence. Then the voices slowly came back.

She barely opened her eyes and stared at the curved wall across from her. The voices were a soft whisper in the back of her head and it sounded more like combined chanting than random murmurs. She widened her eyes more when she noticed a blue glow emanating from the wall. She stared at it a moment longer before climbing to her feet and slowly walking over towards the wall, mesmerized by the blue glowing symbols. As she drew closer the chanting in her head grew louder, but it pushed her on. When she reached the wall she ran her fingers over the glowing symbols as the chanting was like a roar in her head. Suddenly the blue glow enveloped her and she fell to her knees, choking on the light swarming around her and the chanting was nearly screaming in her ears. She closed her eyes while trying to gasp for air and covering her ears until suddenly the chanting ceased and she could breathe again. She opened her eyes and the light was gone. She looked to where the wall had glowed and it was just symbols etched into the stone, nothing extraordinary about them. She ran her fingers over them again and she shook her head, trying to clear her mind. The chanting may have been gone, but like a small itch in the back of her head, the word "Fus" repeated itself over and over like a mantra. She tried to ignore it, but couldn't grasp the meaning of the word and it made her slightly frustrated. She stood at the wall, still staring at the etchings. She was unsure of how long she had remained there, but when she finally grabbed her things and left the cave, night had nearly fallen. It was around noon when she had entered the barrow and she had been surprised at how long she was in the ruin.

She slowly and carefully climbed down the rocks of the mountain, finding a cluster of bones and animal parts at the bottom. She only hoped that she would not run into any trouble since she broke her only weapon. She supposed she could still use her arrows if she needed, but she could only do so much. She took in her surroundings, trying to gauge where exactly she was. When she looked up the mountain, she could no longer see the ominous black arches that hovered over the entrance to the ruin. She looked opposite the mountain and saw a lake before her and decided it was best to follow the flow of the water. If she was anywhere near Riverwood, the water would lead her straight there, if not it would surely lead to another town.

She continued to follow the edge of the water and it formed into a small river, as it wrapped around the mountain. Soon she was able to see the arches she had looked for and knew Riverwood was not far. She crossed the river when the water became shallow enough for her to hop on the stones and random debris to get across to the cobblestone path that was on the other side. She followed the road until finally Riverwood was in sight and she heaved a sigh of relief when she reached the gates. She was sweaty and sure she smelled similar to the moldy cave she had just been in. She considered stopping by Gerdur's house but decided against it seeing how late it was and walked towards the inn. She finally had a few septims from her journey through the tombs, after picking some off the dead skeletons and finding a few in the chests she had lock picked her way into.

She entered the inn and approached the man at the bar, then handed him the ten septims he requested for a room. He motioned over to a room on her left; she thanked him and made her way to the room that had a bed set against the far left corner with a chest sitting at the end of it. There was a small table with a pitcher of water and a small wooden chair next to it. The room also contained a large wardrobe against the left wall and a fur wall decoration above the left side of the bed. She found a bowl and put some oils in to help rid her of the god's awful smell the covered her and she filled the bowl with the water in the pitcher that was sitting on the end table. The water was not warm, but at this point she did not care. She found a rag in the wardrobe and she scrubbed herself raw until she was sure the stench had left her skin. She used the remaining water to wash the rest of the smell out of her hair. She made sure to also treat the wound on her arm, pouring some of a health potion on it before she wrapped it in the bandages she had in her pack. After she felt she was clean and the wound was well-tended, she packed up her dirty clothes and changed into the green leggings and white male's shirt she found in the wardrobe. The shirt was a bit large, but once she tucked it into the pants and adjusted her belt it worked just fine. She climbed into bed and was so exhausted it was only moments before she fell asleep with a tick in the back of her head that continued to repeat the unknown word.

* * *

The next morning she reluctantly awoke, her body feeling much heavier than it actually was. Her back still ached and she arched and twisted her back to stretch as she sat up. After she pulled on her shoes and pack she headed out of the inn, making sure to hand the innkeeper some septims for the clothes she had taken from her room. She backtracked towards the Riverwood Trader, needing a new bow before heading for Whiterun. When she entered, the two running the store were arguing about a break in, and she almost turned around and headed back out of the store to avoid any awkwardness. She came up to the counter, setting her pack down in front of the man and she dug through it to give him the the things she collected from her trip to trade for the hunting bow he had in stock. She withdrew the jewels and random little trinkets she had found, setting them all on the counter. The man offered her a decent amount for each and she gratefully accepted the few extra septims he gave her on top of the bow and she placed them in her coin purse with the rest. The hunting bow he had in stock was not as nice as the one she had acquired from Jorrvaskr, but it would work for what she needed. Before she left, she noticed the gold claw that was sitting in her bag. As she reached in her pack for it she asked the trader, "Actually, I have one more thing. How much do you think this would be worth?" The man grew wide-eyed and the woman he had argued with stopped her sweeping and they both gawked at her. "What?" she said, startled by their sudden change.

"I can't believe you found it!" The trader exclaimed. Aurora held up the claw in her hand and looked at it in confusion as he explained himself. "A few days ago, a group of bandits had robbed the store. The only thing they took was that golden claw. They had said something about heading towards Bleak Falls Barrow for some treasure as they left. I guess you caught them before they got there!"

"Actually, I found it while I was there. It was some sort of key in the tomb." She explained as she handed it over to the merchant. He took it from her with a wild smile on his face.

"I'm going to put this back where it belongs. I'll never forget this! You've done a great thing for me and my sister. Here…" He bent down and handed her a large coin purse. "Take this, it's the least we could do for bringing this back." She took the bag from the man and placed it with hers, inside her pack. She smiled at him, glad to see she could help, even if it was by accident. She turned to leave and he hollered for her to return when she needed to sell or buy anything. She waved as she walked out the door and thanked them again.

After she returned to Dragonsreach and gave Farengar the Dragonstone (which he greedily took without so much as a thank you) she headed over to Jorrvaskr like she told Farkas she would. She climbed up the stairs and the first time looked at the odd shape of the roof. She thought it was intriguing that it looked similar to an upturned boat and she admired the style of it. She stopped at the front doors and reached for the handle, but stayed her hand as she remembered her last conversation with Vilkas before she left. What if he was alone in the hall again? Could she face him without them being harsh to one another? She debated it for a moment, though hadn't fully decided as the door swung open and she saw Farkas standing there.

He immediately grinned when he saw her and welcomed her inside. "Look who showed up!" He said shouted to no one in particular in the hall and she was happy to see that he greeted her just as warmly as before. When she entered the hall, she saw Vilkas was nowhere to be seen. She let out a breath of relief and turned her attention to Farkas, who began speaking to her. "How was Bleak Falls Barrow? Did you get that thing for Farengar?" He asked with amusement in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah. It was oddly stuck in the rib cage of a still living skeleton." She replied, recalling her fight in the cave.

"You mean a Draugr?" Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he let out a quick chuckle before he explained, "They used to be Nord warriors. I think they still cling to life when they were buried with their weapons and armor. It's creepy if you ask me, but they're dumb, so they are defeated easy enough."

"Well, most of them were. That last one though, he did something to me and my back is still paying for it." She said as she arched her back, rolling her shoulders. He slightly tilted his head to show he was listening as she continued. "One minute I'm firing an arrow at him and the next I was flown back against a wall." She also made sure not to mention her odd experience with the symbols on the wall and the chanting. He would probably think she was crazy.

"That, my friend, was a shout. The ancient Nords were able to do it almost naturally. Now I think the Greybeards are the only ones who do it, but it takes them months or even years to learn." She nods in understanding and he walks her over to one of the main tables in the hall. "Come on, you look like you could use some food, your tiny little self needs all the help it can get." He said with a wide grin.

"I'm not that little. I have seen Bretons that are shorter than me." She said in defense as she ripped off a piece of bread and popped it in her mouth.

"Well, you're one of the smallest people I've met. It's no wonder you had to learn to defend yourself; you make for an easy target."

"Don't I know it. I can't tell you how many times a bandit has thought the same thing." She said as the corner of her mouth lifted.

"Well cheers to you for overcoming it." He said as he raised an open bottle of mead and she joined him in their toast giggling. She decided then, that she liked Farkas. He had been overly friendly the few times she had interacted with him, and each time he brought a smile to her face. It had been many years since she had felt such happiness and it made her want to remain in Whiterun a little longer, just for his company.

Soon, many of the companions had joined them and it was just as it had been her first night staying there. They laughed and told stories while many of them drank their fill of mead. Aela had joined her at her side once again. She and Farkas shared friendly banter and Aurora found it quite entertaining. Though they threw insults at one another, neither seemed to take offense at it and she found it almost comforting that these people could joke in such a way with each other. Neither, though, had taken any harsh jabs at Aurora and she was thankful. She enjoyed the conversation, but she was still timid from her lack of social involvement over the years and both could see that. She had never opened up so much or spent this much time with the same people and it was nice to have that sort of camaraderie.

She had noticed Vilkas the minute he had appeared from the living quarters, but he made no acknowledgment of her presence at first and she felt relieved. Though at times she would catch him looking her way throughout the night and each time she caught his icy stare it sent shivers down her spine. She would always quickly look away only to have her eyes drawn back to him moments later, whether he was staring or not. She wondered how he and Farkas shared the same face but she would feel completely different when looking at the two. Farkas always had a smile on his face and was more than friendly enough to make up for his brother's cold demeanor.

Kodlak had also joined them that night and she also enjoyed his presence. It was relaxing that everyone was just as rowdy when he was there, showing their comfort in his company. Though he gave off the persona of a Leader, he acted just as their equal. She assumed that was why they were all called "The Companions" because it very much defined the relationships they had built with one another. She wondered to herself if she would still be considered one if she often left to be by herself, only returning when she strived for the social connection they provided.

As night fell, she grew weary enough to head to bed before the rest of the companions. She wished her new-found friends good night and made her way down the stairs leading to the living quarters. She walked across the empty and quiet hall to their quarters, picking the same bed she had previously slept in. She took off her shoes and sat on the bed as she took off her belt, laying it on the floor next to the rest of her things. She began unbraiding her hair when a familiar deep voice made her turn towards the open door.

"I see you made it back in one piece." Vilkas was leaning against the door frame on his left side with his arms crossed and was staring at her intently. She stopped midway up her braid and looked at him dumbstruck. She opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it, not having anything to say. His gaze did not move away from her and she tilted her head towards the floor to avoid him. "Find what you were looking for?" She barely nodded in response. He moved his head to try to get a better view of her face but much of her bangs were concealing it so he continued. "You're speechless now, eh? You had a lot to say yesterday morning." It was then she finally looked up at him again, her brow slightly furrowed.

"I apologize. I should not have said what I did." She turned away from him again and continued undoing her braid. He watched her and noticed her hair looked longer when she did not have it in her braid. She brushed her fingers through it and it strayed in different directions from her head, layered down many inches past her shoulders. She ran her hand through the hair at the top of her head and her long choppy bangs flung back to frame her face, swinging off to her left from part in her hair.

"Do you think I'm heartless?" She looked at him again, her lips slightly parted. "Because of what you said the other day." He tilted his head slightly and raised his chin waiting for her to respond. She didn't answer. "Well, you would not be the first. You are not the only person I had to test to see if they were worthy of being called a companion." He said to her, trying to get some sort of response from her.

"It was not that you were the one to test me. It was the arrogant and debasing way that you did it." She looked away from him again towards the floor and he was slightly taken aback by her answer. "I am not a fighter. Or I am not when it is not needed. Taking lives and hurting people, that is not the way I want to live my life." She softly spoke the words with her head still down.

"Then why did you come back?" His words were laced with venom.

"Because I told your brother I would. I have not socialized much and do not often speak, but my words and promises still hold meaning." She looked back up at him swinging her head to move her bangs from her face so she could look at him. "Him and Aela, they make me feel welcome and try to include me in this family of yours. I have not felt that way before and I don't think anyone would blame me for craving it again." They remained quiet and Vilkas dropped his eyes to the floor, staring at her bare feet, with her toes curled in. She had looked away as well during their silence. She was unsure of how long they remained like that and her heart felt heavy from their conversation. She wanted to know why he had followed her down here, why he had spoken with her. Was it just to chastise her about their previous conversation? He had not officially accepted her apology, but at the same time she had not cared if he did. Finally, she decided to break the silence, still not looking at him. "I guess it matters not, I will probably leave tomorrow, if not then in a few days. I did not plan on staying long. These past several days have been rather… abnormal for me and I wish to return to something familiar." She spoke resolutely but there was a tinge of sadness in her voice and Vilkas could hear it.

"You still did not answer my first question." He spoke again. Her eyes still remained fixed on the floor.

"What question?" She asked.

"Do you find me heartless?" She looked up at him finally and he took in her golden irises and tilted his head not having noticed them before. They were luminescent and almost had a glow to them, but the feeling projected in them, was not as bright as the color.

"No, I do not think you heartless." She stated with a breathy voice but she continued. "Though that does not mean your heart is warm." She had made eye contact with him and his icy eyes matched the coldness that radiated from his stiff body. She swallowed loudly before he gave her a nod and turned to leave. She let out a shaky breath and remained frozen on the bed moments before she finally lay down and faced the wall. She curled in on herself under the blanket and she shivered from the conversation. She had received stares and other odd looks all her life, but none had compared to the fierce stare he had given her; it was almost of a feral nature. When she closed her eyes to sleep, all she could see was intense silver eyes, covered in black war paint that felt as if they stared to her very core.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter wasn't as long but I honestly did not want to spend time going through the whole Bleak Falls Barrow quest. We've all played the game, we all know how to get through it and we all know what happens at the end. I am trying my best to not just write what is in the game so if you feel I am doing too much or too little, review and I'm happy to take your critique! Anyways, next chapter... Dragon! Fave and Review! Thanks for Reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Vilkas awoke from his usual restless sleep. He stared at the ceiling with dreary eyes before he forced himself to sit up, and swing his legs over the side of the bed. He dragged his hands over his face, still trying to regain some sort of consciousness. He stared at the floor with his right elbow resting on his knee with his hand hanging between his legs, and his left palm placed against his thigh. He so badly wanted a good night's sleep, just once. It had been over a decade since the last time he slept through the night due to the damn beast blood that he took all too willingly. He was too focused on the power that came with it, instead of the troubles it would add to his already battling emotions. If only he could go back, and warn his younger self of the downsides, but it was all in the past now.

He had convinced Farkas to take it too, and now they were both dealing with sleepless nights, among other things. Farkas always could handle his anger better, and it only heightened Vilkas'. He knew he had a hard time controlling it, admitted it to himself time and again, even before the beast blood. Though when the moments came, he would let it control him, just as he always had. At first there were some serious close calls. Skjor, and Kodlak would have to drag him through the under forge as he was changing to keep him from causing a massacre. That was back when he had often feasted on the flesh of bandits or other cruel humanoids. He never hurt the innocent, but he had a too many near incidents before he could gain control. That was years ago though, and he had decided to try, and hold off his changes as much as possible. Kodlak was convinced there was a cure, so he and Farkas would wait to hunt until it was no longer an option. It had been a couple months since he last hunted, and he knew he would have to change soon; he never could last as long as his brother. He grew more and more restless every day, and it would only be a matter of time.

Kodlak was running out of time, though. The man was old, older than Skjor. He had taken a decent amount of damage over the years, and it took its toll. The old man was like a father to him, and he worried every day that it might be Kodlak's last. He had trouble moving around sometimes, let alone fighting. His joints had begun to ache, and crack when he moved. He'd have often have chest pains under too much stress, but it kept the beast at bay. Vilkas had tried taking his place for the occasional job Kodlak was offered, but the stubborn Harbinger wouldn't have it. He said it helped keep him alive and healthy though Vilkas wasn't so sure. He still had the fire in him, and he knew he wouldn't go down without a fight, but maybe it was just that. He wanted a warrior's death. Even if he wasn't heading to Sovngarde afterwards, it would still make all the difference to him. The rest of the time, he was locked away in his quarters, sifting through the immense number of journals and books in his library. That worried Vilkas even more, the man used to be so lively and now it just seemed like death was slowly eating away at him.

Vilkas finally stood as he pulled himself away from his depressing thoughts, and he walked over to his wardrobe to find some underclothes for his armor. He found some black pants, and a shirt to match, and threw them on before he lugged on the wolf armor. He had honestly grown tired of the look, but as a member of the circle, he felt it was an obligation to keep up appearances. He walked out of his room, and towards the hall, the armor weighing heavier than usual on him in his weary state. As he passed the main quarters, he noticed many of the companions were still sleeping. Torvar was loudly snoring, and he could hear Ria grinding her teeth again. The sound caused a small shiver to run down his spine.

He walked up the stairs, and turned towards the center of the hall, seeing Farkas, and Skjor sitting at the long table in their usual spots. When he moved towards his brother, he saw the little bit of caramel colored hair peak out behind him. When he passed him by, Aurora's form fully appeared, with her hair braided and slung to the right just as it always was. It also seemed she was wearing the same clothing she had been when he saw her the night before. He found it amazing she had not been wearing in any armor the few times he had seen her. Even when they sparred she was merely dressed in some thin leather leggings, and a cotton shirt. The one she currently wore was obviously too big for her, and he could not figure out how she was supposed to protect herself in such baggy clothing. If she planned on staying, he would have to make sure she talked to Eorlund to at least get her some leathers.

Instead of sitting near his brother as he usually did, he decided to walk past them, and take a seat near Skjor at one of the shorter tables on the other end of the hall. The man did not always keep the best conversation, but Vilkas had never cared, seeing he was not much for it himself anyways. He grabbed himself some food, though he couldn't help but notice the animated conversation Farkas was having with his new friend. How his brother was overly friendly towards her, he could not understand his immediate infatuation, but he shrugged it off as he ate. Farkas had obviously been flirting with the girl every time he saw her, but Vilkas was sure she didn't take the hint in her ignorance.

She was different from Farkas' usual lay. He liked the small and thin ones like her, but he wanted a woman to protect, and have children with. He can't count the number of times he got Ysolda in his bed. She seemed to be his favorite recently, but now it seems he's moved on. Though Aurora was small, he could tell she had a certain ardor and fierceness about her. He had underestimated her in their spar and had to quickly make up for it. Her rather short but feminine appearance had thrown him off. While he found Aela and even Njada to both be strong feminine warriors, they were still tall and gave off an intimidating aura. He learned his lesson a long time ago to now toy around with Aela, sometimes he still paid for it. Aurora may be shorter than Nord women, but she wasn't as stubby as some of the Breton's he had met. She was just short for being any kind of warrior and he chuckled out loud at the thought of her going against the giant they took down the other day, and Skjor looked at him weird at his random laugh, and Vilkas shrugged at him as he continued eating. It would explain why she favored archery; someone like her would have difficulty wielding a sword, and shield or a great sword.

They continued to converse after he had finished his breakfast, and he wondered what they could possibly talk about for so long. He looked up when he heard a very feminine laugh, and saw her covering her mouth, trying to suppress it as Farkas laughed with her. Why would she do that? She had a lovely laugh, he thought to himself, but quickly shoved the thought aside as if it was never there. She brushed her hair behind her ear, a nervous habit of hers he had noticed, revealing her slightly pointed ears. He still could not figure out exactly what she was. Obviously mixed, she could be a number of things. Maybe Breton and Bosmer? It would account for her small but thin size and archery skills. Breton's had the elven ancestors, which would show why her mer features showed strongly. The yellow eyes had to be from the mer side, as well as the slightly olive tinge to her skin. He continued to ponder the possibilities as he stared at her from afar. He was driven from his reverie when he noticed she was looking back. He blinked his eyes a few times and shook his head, pulling his gaze from her to continue his breakfast.

Before he finally got up to leave, tiring of hearing his brother flirting with the newcomer, the front doors to the hall burst open. The Jarl's housecarl, Irileth, stood there, trying to catch her breath. Skjor quickly stood as his chair moved out behind him, the legs scraping against the floor loudly. Vilkas stood following Skjor as he addressed her.

"Irileth? What is wrong?" Skjor demanded.

"The Jarl calls for your aid." She spoke while taking breaths between her words. "A dragon's been sighted nearby!" She looked at Aurora just now noticing she was there. "You!" She pointed at her, "You should come too!" Aurora blanched, confusion etched into her face.

"What!? Why me?" She choked out.

"You survived Helgen! You have more experience with dragons than anyone else here!" She shouted at her. Everyone looked towards Aurora. She had never mentioned being at Helgen when the dragon attacked. Vilkas wondered what she would have been doing there. Rumors had circulated that Ulfric Stormcloak, and a handful of other rebels had been there as well, and it spiked his curiosity. Was she a Stormcloak sympathizer? It had not made sense, especially with her words from the previous night.

"Yeah, experience running from them!" Aurora exclaimed. "Not sure if you knew, but that Dragon destroyed the town, burnt it to the ground. Then it flew away, not a scratch on it."

"Well, if it decides to attack Whiterun I don't know if we can stop it, but we can at least try." Farkas nudged Aurora, and she looked up at him, fear etched in her eyes. "I've already instructed a few of my guards to wait by the gates. Meet us there, and we will head to the western watch tower." Irileth stated before running back out the door. It was quiet for a second in the hall, but soon Vilkas began moving, and barked out orders.

"Farkas, Skjor, we are going to kill a dragon. We need to go tell Kodlak." He stopped, and looked at Aurora who was still seated. "Irileth was right; regardless of how you dealt with the last dragon, you should go. If not to fight it, at least give some sort of advice. You can always stay back, and use your bow. We need all the help we can get." She slowly nodded at him, still in shock, and they all headed down to their separate rooms to grab their weapons. Vilkas ran over to the Harbinger's quarters, and knocked on the door loudly before entering. Kodlak was already awake, and at his desk, and stood when Vilkas entered the room fully armored. "A dragon is attacking. I gathered Skjor, Farkas, and Aurora since they were already up. We are meeting Irileth at the gates." He stated, and Kodlak looked at him in surprise.

"A dragon? So the rumors were true?" Vilkas nodded at his rhetorical question. "Let me come with you, you'll need all the help you can get." Vilkas gently grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Old man, we're talking about a dragon. Are you sure you should be heading out with us?" Kodlak looked at him, Vilkas' eyebrows knitted together in worry. He regarded him for a second before nodding.

"I guess you're right, but take the others with you." Vilkas nodded in acknowledgment, and turned to leave. He walked straight to the other end of the hallway, and banged on the open door to wake up the rest of the companions. They all awoke startled, Torvar falling off his bed with a loud thud.

"Wake up, there's a dragon we're going to need help. They all jumped up at the word dragon, and he yelled for someone to go wake Aela, but she was already walking down the hall fully armored, and her bow slung over her shoulder. He figured Skjor must have woken her. After a few minutes they met up at the front doors together, and traveled to meet with Irileth. When they arrived, she was prepping her guards, and shortly after, she motioned them all to follow her.

Vilkas had his great sword, a bow, and quiver, and even made sure to bring a few daggers with him, just as a precaution. He had one strapped to his chest, another on his belt one, and one more strapped to his boot. He wasn't about to go fight a dragon unprepared. He had killed one of everything in Skyrim, and he was going to make sure a dragon was added to that list. He led the other companions behind Irlieth, and when the watch tower was in view, they could see the surrounding fires, and rubble from the building scattered around its perimeter. They gathered just outside the debris, and smoke coated the air they were breathing. With his strong sense of smell the beast blood provided him, he could smell the burning flesh a great distance away, and it was horribly disturbing. He looked back, and saw the look on Aurora's face, and she was wide eyed, and looked terrified. She stood her ground though, and continued on with them anyways. He noticed she was so much smaller than the rest of them, and he admired her bravery.

"No signs of any dragon right now, but it sure looks like he's been here." Irileth stated after they stopped, a hand over her eyes as she looked towards the watch tower. She turned to face the rest of them, "I know it looks bad, but we've got to figure out what happened. And if that dragon is still skulking around somewhere." She turned back, and sheathed her weapon, and started running towards the tower, yelling over her shoulder as everyone followed. "Spread out, and look for survivors! We need to know what we're dealing with."

Vilkas motioned for the other companions to follow, and they all migrated towards the burning rubble with their weapons drawn. The smoke got heavier, and the scorching smell stronger the closer they got. Aela ran up on a large chunk of rubble that had a slope that stood over his head. She took in the area, covering her brow with her hand while trying to see through the smoke. "What do you see?" He yelled up to her.

"Nothing yet! There are a lot of dead guards Vilkas." She looked at him with concern on her face. Irileth ran up the ramp leading to the entrance of the tower, and a guard came out yelling for them to get back, holding his hands in front him of him.

"No! Get back! It's still here somewhere! Hroki, and Tor were just grabbed when they tried to make a run for it!" Soon after, a loud roar echoed in the mountains. "Kynareth save us! Here it comes again!" They all turned towards the roar, but couldn't see anything through the smoke. He heard Aela's yell.

"It's approaching from the South! Get ready!" She readied an arrow, and aimed towards the sky, preparing to fire once the dragon was in range. Vilkas yelled for the rest of them to ready their bows to fire as he did so himself. He could hear the flap of wings before he saw the dragon. He quickly pulled an arrow, and aimed at the dragon appearing through the smoke. "Aim for the wings!" Aela carried out the instruction as she launched what was her second arrow at the abomination.

The dragon circled around above them. He heard its intake of breath and the shout just before he exhaled an obscene amount of fire, catching a few of the guards on fire. An ice Mage quickly made it over to them, dousing the fire before it crippled them severely. The stench of burning flesh grew and Vilkas almost gagged from the smell. They bombarded the dragon with arrows, he could see them sticking from his underbelly and wings. However, with ever strong flap of its wings, a number of arrows would dislodge themselves from its body. The dragon seemed invincible. Vilkas was unsure of how they would defeat the large creature. He could feel the beast blood lurking up on him from the excitement of the fight, but he held it at bay as he continued to fire arrows at the dragon.

It continued its assault as they continuously fired arrows from below. "We need to get to higher ground!" He yelled as he ran for the tower, ready to run up the spiraling ramp to the roof. Just before he took his first step on the slope, a hand reached for his arm, stopping him in his tracks. He turned to see who the hand belonged to, and he saw those familiar yellow eyes.

"No! Don't! He'll tear that building apart with you on it!" She screamed over the roar of the monster. He yanked his arm away and continued his ascent. Only a moment later, another deafening roar echoed through the area, growing tremendously close to him. He turned to his right and saw the dragon swooping down at him. Before its large talons could grab him and the other guard stationed there, he felt small hands wrap around his shins, yanking him so he fell to the ground on his chest. The dragon missed him, but sadly grabbed the poor fellow that had been standing there. He tossed the man to the ground from above the tower and his screams were cut off when he landed on the ground below him. Vilkas looked down to see Aurora holding onto his legs, a combination of concern and fear plastered on her face. He nodded at her in silent thanks as she quickly got back to her feet and aimed her bow at the dragon above them.

"_Thuri du hin sil ko Sovngarde_!" The dragon roared before he shouted another roaring flame at them. Aurora fired her arrow, sending it straight through his already weakened right wing and he roared in pain. She quickly drew another arrow, aiming for the same wing in an attempt to bring the dragon down. "I had forgotten what _faantak_ you _joor_ provide!" He cackled as he headed back towards Vilkas and Aurora.

Vilkas heard the dragon's intake of breath before the shout and he grabbed Aurora as she aimed another arrow, causing her to drop it in surprise. He quickly jumped down from the ramp they were on, pulling her with him, and yanked her to him, huddling against the wall of the ramp. He brought them close to the ground, covering her head with his right hand, holding it against his chest. She was curled between his knees as he hunched over her before a blazing fire raged above them while the dragon passed overhead. He released her and quickly moved her head up to look at him. Seeing no evident burns or markings he brought her back to her feet as he stood.

He aimed another arrow along with her, ready to shoot before she spoke. "His right wing has already taken damage. Aim for the soft spot underneath!" She hollered over the chaos surrounding them. He nodded as he sent his arrow flying and it hit the edge of the wing, causing a screech to come from the dragon. Aurora ran out from behind the ramp and took aim when the dragon turned towards the tower once again. He swooped down towards the ground, ready to snatch her up. She quickly drew two arrows from her quiver and squared her feet, waiting for the dragon to move closer. Vilkas looked at her in disbelief as she fired both arrows towards the dragon. The first flew straight to the middle of the damaged wing while the other hit him just below his the eye. The dragon curled in on itself, its wings surrounding it as it hurtled towards the ground. Aurora went to move from the dragon's incoming collision, but its left wing clipped her as it slid, sending her flying into a nearby block of rubble. The dragon slid a few hundred yards before coming to a stop, sending a thick cloud of dust and dirt into the air.

The dirt cloud blocked Vilkas' vision and he heard Aurora coughing for air. He crouched next to her as her head rolled around on her shoulders and he leaned her against the boulder she had collided with before running towards the sound of the dragon and the rest of his companions to try and find a way to the clearing. He drew his great sword after slinging his bow across his torso. He charged out into the clearing to find the dragon rising to its feet.

"_Bahlaan paal! Hin viik drun zey zin!_" The dragon roared as it spread its wings, turning to face them, knocking away Athis and Njad, who had closed in on the dragon, with its tail. Vilkas charged at the thing, seeing Farkas to his right in his peripherals. The dragon sucked in air, ready for another fire shout and Vilkas dodged to the left as the fire flew from its mouth. The dragon's head turned its head following him, but Vilkas was quicker. Farkas came from the other side, slashing his great sword at the beast's torso. The dragon's scaled hide was rough, but Farkas was able to chip away at some of its scales. The angered dragon roared and stood on its hind legs. It flapped its strong wings, sending a gust of air at the brothers sending them flying backwards while stirring a slew of dust into the air that added to the dust cloud and smoke surrounding the area.

Aela shot a few more arrows into the beast before it noticed her. Its head snapped towards her and as it shot out a fiery breath she jumped off her perch, rolling when she connected with the ground and drew another arrow, firing it into the dragon's neck. The dragon screeched as it tried to shake the arrow from its neck. Farkas recovered from his fall and charged at the beast again. The dragon turned towards his approach and he ducked under its wing. He ran to its neck, piercing his great sword into the torso just in front of the wing. The dragon stood, pulling Farkas off his feet with his sword and flung him like a rag doll. Farkas went flying through the air, landing front first on the dusty ground. Vilkas saw his brother fall to the ground again, and cried out to him. Farkas pushed himself up slowly, shaking his head. Vilkas blew out a rough breath when he saw his brother was okay. He ran over to him while the dragon pursued Ria and Torvar who had slid under the dragon's belly, and were slashing their blades at him from below. When Vilkas reached his brother, Farkas was bent over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

"I don't know about this Vilkas. This thing throws one hell of a punch." He looked up at him through the dark strands of his hair, some of them sticking to his face from sweat.

"We need to gain some sort of advantage. It tramples us from below." Vilkas' eyes light up as the idea came to him. He and Farkas both threw their arms up covering them from the gust of wind, and dirt the dragon continued to fly in the air as it flung Torvar off to the side. Athis ran to him and dragged him to cover by his arms before the dragon could hurl its fire breath at them. Ria had so far dodged all the beast's attacks, but just barely. She was trying her best to stay under its belly out of site as the dragon continued to pursue her. "We need to get on top of it." Vilkas said to his brother.

"You mean you want to ride the damn thing?" Farkas exclaimed, disbelief dripped in his voice. "I think you're touched in the head brother!"

"No, it can't take flight! It won't let us get close enough to do any real damage to it. We have to attack from above!" Vilkas looked at his brother, complete seriousness on his face. Farkas eye him a moment.

"Okay then. What's the plan?" He asked his brother, uncertainty dripping in his voice.

"Brace your shield and get as close as you can to the thing." Farkas nodded as he withdrew his shield from his back and marched over to the dragon that was twisting and turning to find the girl hiding beneath it. It raised itself again, sending more dust into the surrounding area. Everyone was nearly choking on the stuff. Farkas dipped underneath the tail and called for his brother as he ran under its wing. Vilkas held his sword in hand and ran towards his brother. Farkas dropped to one knee and held up his shield diagonally above him. Vilkas lunged with his right foot forward, connecting with the shield while Farkas stood and pushed up with all his strength, sending Vilkas flying onto the beast.

He grabbed hold of one the large scales sticking from the dragon's spine with his left hand and he set his left foot placed on Farkas' sword that was still protruding from the dragon's neck. He pulled himself off as the dragon began swinging its head back and forth, trying to shake him off. Vilkas pulled himself up to straddle the dragon's neck, but as soon as his right foot swung to the other side the dragon reared, sending him backwards before he could lock his legs. Vilkas grabbed a hold of its scales with both hands, losing his sword in the process. The dragon roared a fire as it continued to swing Vilkas off. Vilkas pulled himself up again, his grip holding on tight. The dragon fell forward, holding itself up with its wings and Vilkas followed. He carefully crawled forward, inching his way up the dragon's neck as the rest of the companions and left over guards continued their assault. He noticed the combined effort as the dragon had become surrounded by warriors who were hacking and slashing at the beast. Finally Vilkas found his balance and locked onto the beast's upper neck with his thighs. His sword was lost, so he withdrew his bow and aimed at where its skull and spine connected. The dragon thrashed about from the attacked below and Vilkas almost missed his shot, but the minute he discharged his arrow, it let out a wail. The dragon fell to the ground, causing it to shake beneath him and Vilkas jumped off before he was thrown from its back. As the dragon collapsed, it sent up another cloud of dust. Vilkas walked through the veil of dirt and smoke to where the dragon's head lay. Its breathing was shallow, but its eyes were still slightly open, but they shot open as in sudden realization for a moment as he breathed his last words.

"_Dovahkiin! No!_" As the dragon's chest fell from its final breath, Vilkas almost felt a twinge of guilt. The feeling soon went away when he looked up and saw the smoke in the area. He smelled the burning flesh of the injured and dead and could hear the moans and cries of those in pain from the dragon's wrath.

He was pulled from his thoughts when the dragon's corpse began to light up from the inside. He stepped back and yelled for everyone to do the same. They all cleared a large circle around the dead dragon as it slowly lit up in a bright flame. Its scales looked as they evaporated into ash, rising from the body. Soon the flame engulfed the corpse and as the bone began to show an orange and purple light began to swarm around it. Vilkas held his hand up from the brightness of it. The light continued to float about the dragon's corpse until it shot towards the watch tower. The wind caused by the light flew around them and Vilkas walked towards where the light led. The strands of light continued for a few moments with a slight roaring sound, until they were engulfed by the dust and smoke near the tower. He slowly walked towards it and there was an aura emanating from the center of the dusty cloud that was slowly clearing. The aura began to fade by the time he could see what was emerging from it.

Aurora walked slowly from the dust into the clearing. She then stood there as everyone stared at her and the aura was absorbed into her body. Her clothes were tattered and burnt. She heaved deep breaths, her hand clutching her chest, bunching her shirt in her fist. She was staring at the ground in front of her and when she looked up she caught the eyes of all the companions and guards who had expressions of awe strewn across their faces, wide eyed and mouths open. A guard approached her slowly before speaking.

"You… you're dragonborn." He said with a dumbstruck expression. Her eyebrows knitted together and she swallowed heavily before replying.

"Dragonborn?" She said still catching her breath.

"Dragonborn! Like Tiber Septim! You just absorbed that dragon soul!"

"I don't know what happened." She said, still trying to gain some sort of composure.

"Try to shout!" She looked at him, still confused. "Shout! Like the dragons do!" She shook her head and stared at the ground. The word Fus echoed in her head again, but suddenly there was a clarity. She knew what the word meant. Force. She looked up and met the expectant eyes of those around her. All was quiet and she looked up to the sky. She took a deep breath and released the pent up energy from the word.

"FUS!" The sound thundered from her mouth and throat. Everyone gasped and she looked at them wide eyed. She was still comprehending what had just happened to her and she was almost scared.

"It's the power of old! The voice of the Dragonborn!" Everyone began murmuring the word as she took in their words. Dragonborn? She had no idea what any of this meant. How could this be? She was a loner, she was a simple huntress. She was no Dragonborn.

Vilkas stared at Aurora, and the look in her eyes conveyed pure terror. Was she afraid of this? She was given the greatest gift from the Gods and she looked utterly horrified by it. A part of him suddenly wanted to console her and comfort her. Help her with the realization. He took one step forward before stopping himself. He was unsure of what she needed, what she wanted or if there was any help he could offer her. He could not stand the look on her face, and it cut through him. Aela was soon at her side, with her hands over Aurora's shoulders and she began walking her back towards Whiterun.

Was this really happening? His eyes followed her and the rest of the companions joined them as they began their trek back to Whiterun. Farkas joined Vilkas' side and spoke to him, but he did not hear the words. They must not have been important because Farkas did not press for a response. They soon followed them, Vilkas grabbing his fallen sword before they left the scene. The guards were still conversing about Tiber Septim and the history of the Dragonborn. Everyone was asking Aurora questions and pressing her for answers. She had none. She just walked in silence and he could almost smell the fear rolling off of her.

When they neared the stables, the ground began to shake. There was a loud crack of thunder, like it had been right next to him, despite the clear skies. It was followed by a loud shout that echoed through the mountains and past them.

"_DOVAHKIIN_!" He heard the shout of the greybeards and turned towards the throat of the world. The shout cleared away any doubts anyone had. Aurora was the Dragonborn.

* * *

**A/N: Okay couple things. I thought it only made sense that if a dragon really was attacking Whiterun, the companions would help. They stay neutral and usually only do thing for money but at the same time...a friggan dragon is attacking the city. I think they would have helped if it was a real situation.  
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**Second is if you would like to know any of the dragon language Opalbee provided a wonderful site called , there's a translator on the site so you can just copy and paste.  
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**Okay that's about it. The end part of this chapter does have a soundtrack when Aurora is revealed as the Dragonborn. The song is called Finale from the Game of Thrones Soundtrack by Ramin Djawadi. I thought it just fit, and was rather inspiring. Thanks again for reading! Fave or Review!  
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	6. Chapter 6

Aurora sat on the rocky edge beyond the courtyard of High Hrothgar, overlooking the northern part of Skyrim. The ground was cold and covered in snow, but she didn't care. Her knees were bent up against her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs and her cheek resting on the tops of her knees. She stared out, looking to the land beneath her. Whiterun was to her left, Dragonsreach towering over the rest of the town. To her left she saw Windhelm snuggled against the mountainside with its tall walls surrounding the city, the White River bypassing it, expanding and emptying out into the Sea of Ghosts. She was on top of the world, and it made her feel even smaller. The icy wind blew roughly against her face, but she only took it as a sign that was not in fact dreaming. Nothing seemed real - Helgen, the dragons, the Greybeards, the Dragonborn. She would close her eyes, hoping that when she opened them that she'd be lying on her sleeping mat in the middle of The Rift somewhere, staring up at the orange and yellow colored trees. Every time, she would just reopen her eyes to the same view below her and she wanted to cry. She was no Dragonborn, she was a simple huntress, who lived alone, that nobody bothered with. Master Arngeir's voice repeated in her head, their conversation playing on a loop to remind her of what she was.  
"So… a Dragonborn appears, at the turning of the age."  
"Everyone keeps calling me that. What does this mean?" Aurora had been horrified.  
"First, let us truly see if you are Dragonborn. Let us taste of your voice." She felt like a freak show, well, more so of one than what she already was. She used her newly acquired shout in the hall, blowing away a few pots sitting beside the stairs. The Greybeards had all shared a knowing look before the old man continued. "Tell me Dragonborn, why have you come here?"  
"What does this mean? To be Dragonborn?" She asked, worry laced in her voice.  
"We are here to guide you Dragonborn, just as the Greybeards have always sought to guide those of the Dragon Blood that came before you. There have been many of the Dragon Blood since Akatosh first bestowed that gift upon mortalkind and we are honored to welcome you to High Hrothgar. We will do our best to teach you how to use your gift in fulfillment of your destiny."  
"What destiny?"  
"That is for you to discover. We can show you the way, but not the destination. You were given this gift from the gods for a reason. It is up to you to figure out how best to use it. "  
The old man's words were wise, but also horribly cryptic. She still had no clue what any of this truly meant. They had expanded her knowledge of the first shout she had acquired, and then gave her a whole new one to test. They were astonished by the ease of which she learned, and bestowed yet another quest for her. She wanted to decline, she wanted to tell them to just screw off and find someone else to go search for some other damn ancient artifact. But she couldn't. As irresponsible as she wanted to be, as much as she needed to go back to her old life, that just wasn't an option any longer. Even if she did say no to all of this, the gods would not let her. There would still be dragons, she would still be the Dragonborn and there would still be some unknown destiny to fill.  
She still had so many questions for the Greybeards, but grew tired of their half answers and uncertainties. She decided to accept that not even they knew what she was to do with this "gift". So she asked for them to leave her so she could sit by herself, and contemplat what in Talos' name she was going to do. She hadn't known how long she had been sitting there, staring out over the world, but she was shivering from how cold. She may have been half Nord, but she thought, maybe even they could not bear the cold that was atop the throat of the world. She curled in on herself even tighter, trying to hold some warmth in. If she left her spot at the top of Skyrim, that would mean she would have to go solve the problems occurring below her. The land looked so peaceful from her new found perch, and she could only imagine the true chaos that ensued below.  
She suddenly felt a blanket being wrapped around her, and hands rubbing her arms and back trying to warm her, or maybe soothe her; she could not tell. She looked over her shoulder to see Lydia, her new housecarl gifted from Jarl Balgruuf for helping with the Dragon, crouching next to her with a sympathetic smile. She turned her head back forwards and let out a shivering breath.  
"My thane, you will catch a cold out here." Lydia spoke, the worry dripping from her voice.  
"Can the Dragonborn catch colds?" Aurora replied with a mocking tone.  
"I'm sure she can if she sits on the edge of the highest mountain in Tamriel for nearly an hour." Lydia replied, with just as much of mocking tone in her voice as her thane. Aurora smiled from her response and closed the blanket around her. Lydia continued to rub her arms, trying to keep Aurora from shaking any more than she already was. "My thane, if I may ask…" Lydia paused to gauge her reaction before continuing, "why is that you sit out here?" Aurora answered without looking at her, keeping her voice low.  
"Because if I return, then I will have responsibility. I will have duty, I have never had that before. I have never had someone depend on me or need my help. I have never been important." Lydia sighed at her answer and thought on her words before speaking.  
"Just because you are Dragonborn, and just because you have a new sense of responsibility, does not mean you have to carry it all alone." Lydia tilted her head, trying to see Aurora's face.  
"That's just it though. I was alone, I was… content. I had none of this, no housecarl, no companions, no special powers. I was just alone and life was simple. How does one transition from that? How am I supposed to just change the only life I have ever known into something as great as this new one that has been given to me?" Lydia saw a stray tear roll down Aurora's cheek and she moved out in front of her, sitting crossed legged and lightly brushed the tear from her face.  
"I do not have all the answers my thane. But I can tell you things are so much easier when you have people who care about you to help. I cannot say I know what you are feeling, or know what your life was like before this." She grabbed Aurora's hands and looked her in the eye. "What I can tell you, is that the burden is much lighter when there is more than one to carry it." Aurora turned her head down at her words and let out a sigh.  
"I just feel like that is more responsibility. The more people I have to help and the more whose trust I have to gain. I have never been sociable, I have always ran from society. I do not know how to love or care. My heart aches from the loneliness but it is all I know. What if I disappoint everyone? What if I do not live up to the expectations of the Dragonborn? What if I fail all those who believed in me?" Lydia caught another tear and thought she heard a small sob come from Aurora's throat. "I cannot do this." She ended with a strained voice.  
"You will not fail Dragonborn. No one expects more of you than what you can bear. No one will judge you for what you are, only the things you do. How you use this power is what is important. If you choose to roam the roads of Skyrim alone, then you may do so. If you choose to stay with the companions then they will welcome you. If you choose to fight, then I will fight with you if you wish. It is not disappointment that you will find, but support. If you do not know how to love, then we will help you learn by showing you what love is. There is always another way Dragonborn. Sometimes you just have to come beneath the clouds to see it." Aurora met Lyida's hazel eyes and Lydia softly smiled at her.  
"You know what I think?" Aurora asked her, not changing her expression, still holding eye contact.  
"What is that my thane?" Lydia's smile grew a bit wider.  
"I think you may be far wiser than your age leads on." Aurora gave her a smile in return and Lydia let out a small laugh. Aurora's bowed her head again as she sniffled. Lydia returned to rubbing her arms through the blanket as she spoke.  
"Let us go, my thane, I am sure the Greybeards have some tea to help you warm up. I can request for us to remain here over night if you wish?" Aurora nodded her head as she stood with Lydia. Lydia held her arms around her as they walked back through the courtyard towards High Hrothgar.  
"I really do hope the Dragonborn cannot catch colds." Aurora quickly stated. "It would make fighting Dragons much more difficult with a stuffy nose and a cough." Lydia laughed as they entered the monastery. She hoped her new thane would soon feel better and adequate enough to travel towards Ustengrav. It would be a long journey and it would be far easier if Aurora was in high spirits. She decided she would make it her first priority to make sure the Dragonborn never felt alone, and never felt outcast for what she was. She could tell Aurora had social issues beforehand, though she did not know why. She was pretty, handled herself well and was nothing but kind towards everyone she met. She almost made Lydia stay behind when Jarl Balgruuf introduced them, but he had insisted Lydia escort her up the seven thousand steps to High Hrothgar (Lydia had never made the trip before, but she was sure that the number was not quite accurate). Aurora may not have been some grand Nord warrior, but Lydia saw her heart. It was only best that the person who held such immense power within them to be pure as well. She knew Aurora would succeed in whatever fate had in store for her, she just needed guidance along the way and Lydia would do her best to provide that. She was not as wise as the Greybeards or as fierce and honorable as the companions, but she was a good friend. And a good friend is exactly what Aurora needed.

Aurora yanked on the chain the large chain, opening the gate that finally led to the room they had been looking for. Ustengrav was just as she had expected a tomb to be, dark, smelly and full of Draugr. Though unlike her trip to Bleak Falls Barrow she had expected the undead skeletons to appear and she also had her trusted housecarl with her. Ever since their conversation at High Hrothgar, Lydia had not pushed or pressured Aurora in any way. As they traveled, Lydia did not wait on her hand and foot, making Aurora feel useful. They hunted together, Aurora taught her how to blend in with their surroundings and remain undetected. Lydia's shining armor did not help matters as they were spotted by their prey multiple times. They would often settle for rabbit or the occasional mountain goat, which was a last resort seeing as Aurora personally could not stomach the meat.  
Aurora had never seen much of Skyrim past Whiterun, and she made sure to take in as much of the area as possible. They had first made a quick stop in Whiterun and Aurora bought some armor from the local blacksmith. She had always stuck to her furs but she found she rather liked the studded armor she helped craft. Adriane Avenicci was overflowing with orders from the Battle-Borns, who insisted on her crafting Imperial weapons for them. Aurora knew nothing about the craft, but was decent with mending together the hides and fur that she had used before, so Adriane tutored her in the rest. She had paid Adriane generously for the provided supplies and lessons, not knowing what else she would spend her accumulated wealth on.  
With her new armor, they set out for Hjaalmarch where Jurgen Windcallers tomb was located. Their journey had been uneventful until they reached the actual tomb, running into a slew of bandits that inhabited the area. When they had entered they found more, along with a few necromancers fighting off the Draugr. Aurora let them take each other out before doing so herself. Having Lydia this time did actually make things easier. She had someone to watch her back when Draugr snuck up from behind and Lydia was exceptional with a sword and shield. She may not have been as quiet, traveling through the tomb but it had not mattered when there was two of them to fight of their enemies.  
About halfway through they had come across a word wall. Before they left High Hrothgar, Aurora had made sure to discuss her experience with Master Arngeir and he had assured her it was due to her new abilities. There were word walls spread out across all of Skyrim, each part of a new shout for her to learn. However, in order for her to associate the word with its meaning, she would have to absorb more dragon souls to understand how to use them. Until then, the word would swirl around in the back of her mind, like it was lost and waiting for her to grasp it.  
When she had approached this word wall, it was different from her first experience. She had expected what was to happen and prepared herself. It seemed she absorbed the word easier than before. She did not feel as suffocated and she thought that maybe it was because she was slowly accepting who she was with the help of Lydia. She still found she could not breathe for a few moments and had to brace herself against the wall as her vision blurred to darkness. Once the word was absorbed, Feim hovered in the back of her mind as the word Fus had done before. She continued to ponder what the word was as they continued through the tomb. It almost aggravated her that she could not place its meaning until she defeated another dragon, which she was terrified of doing. Luckily they had not encountered any on their journey and Aurora wondered how many there actually were. Would there be enough for her to slay? Or at some point would she have a jumble of words floating around her head that had no meaning? She had hoped that would not happen, as only one word was beginning to drive her mad.  
They walked through the final room where the horn was set to be. There were large pools of water on each side of the room, with a flat bridge leading to the shrine where the horn was placed. Random pillars stuck out from the water, holding the cave-like ceiling above them. She walked down the stairs leading to the bridge and as she approached, the ground began to rumble and the water was disturbed. As they were crossing the bridge, four black statues raised from the water. They had details carved into them to resemble feathers and the tops were shaped into the form of an eagle head with its mouth open. They were rather magnificent and both Lydia and Aurora looked upon them in awe as they finished their ascent out of the water. They approached the shrine only to find a note sitting atop of it.  
"I'm unsure of what the horn is supposed to look like, but I do not think that is it." Lydia stated and Aurora looked back at her with a sarcastic look upon her face, her mouth pulled to one side. Lydia shrugged her shoulders and motioned for her to take the note. It was simply folded in half and Aurora read it quietly, confusion knitted in her face. "What does it say?" Lydia pressed.  
"Someone has taken the horn. They addressed the note to the Dragonborn, but did not use my name." Aurora stared at the note a moment longer before handing it to Lydia, who read it out loud.  
Dragonborn,  
I need to speak to you. Urgently.  
Rent the attic room at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, and I'll meet you.  
-A Friend  
"Some friend that is." Aurora stated flatly. "I have been to that inn before, I do not know many people in Riverwood who would make their way out here for something such as this, especially none I would call a friend." Lydia handed her the note back and Aurora placed it in her pack. She moved to the stairs leading to the shrine and she sat down, placing her elbows on her knees with her chin in her hands. "I must say I am tired of running around all of Skyrim, fetching artifacts for everyone. I may be unsure of what my supposed 'Destiny' is but it sure as hell is not being an errand girl." She emphasized the word destiny with air quotations with her fingers. Lydia joined her on the steps to Aurora's left and sat in a similar fashion.  
"Well, what do you plan on doing?" Lydia asked, shifting her eyes towards Aurora.  
"I suppose we go meet this…friend and retrieve the horn. The note says they would like to speak with me but I really do not feel I have time for idle chatter." She let out a huff as they both sat there in silence for a few moments.  
"I think it is a woman." Lydia said, breaking the silence. Aurora looked at her, and raised an eyebrow.  
"What makes you believe that?" She said with a curious tone.  
"The handwriting was feminine. The tails of the letters were a bit longer and many of the letters connected smoothly." Aurora looked out towards the rest of the tomb, looking as if she was imagining the note in her head, slightly squinting her left eye.  
"Interesting you could tell from that. Though, I am not one for good penmanship so it would only make sense that I bypass those facts." She said, not changing the expression on her face.  
"See? I told you I could help." Aurora turned her head with a smirk on her face and then laughed at the housecarl who joined her.  
"Yes, I suppose you did. Not sure I would have gotten far without knowing a woman wrote that note." Her smirk turned devious as she spoke and Lydia's jaw dropped at her comment, and she smacked Aurora's arm lightly with the back of her hand. "Hey! I may not know much about being a thane but I'm pretty sure my housecarl is not supposed to do that!" She said rubbing her arm, but still had a smile on her face. Lydia laughed as she continued. "Did they not teach you that when you go to learn to be a housecarl? That seems like it would be your first lesson."  
"Well you deserved it." Lydia said with a playful tone.  
"That should be rule number one: Do not hit your thane." Aurora stated in a mocking tone as she straightened her back and stuck her chin in the air, attempting to appear more proper. Lydia's laugh grew and Aurora smiled at her. They had grown rather close during their trip to Ustengrav and for once in her life, Aurora had truly considered someone her friend. Though Lydia was bound by her honor to stay at her side, she had a feeling she would remain there anyways just because they had begun to really like each other. It had made Aurora feel differently about her situation and she grew more optimistic about her future. If she could surround herself with people like Lydia, maybe life would not be so difficult after all.

Aurora and Lydia walked into the Sleeping Giant Inn, it appeared exactly as she had remembered it. It was around afternoon when they arrived, they had stopped in Whiterun the night before to get some well deserved rest before heading out again. Aurora spent the night with the companions once again and even accepted a job from Aela, figuring if she would stay there as often as she had, she might as well help out. It was a simple job and one that fit her particular talents. They requested she track down a bear that was wreaking havoc near Falkreath and the Jarl had put out a bounty for it. Hunting was her specialty, so she figured she'd have the job done in no time.  
They approached the bar, the barkeep was cleaning out some tankards as he asked if they needed anything. "Actually, we were looking to rent the attic room." Aurora said, pulling out her coin purse. The bearded man looked at her, a peculiar expression drawn on his face. He looked over her shoulder at a blonde Breton woman in blue, who was sweeping around the fire pit that was centered in the lobby.  
"Delphine, do we have an attic room?" Her head popped up and she looked at Lydia and Aurora, narrowing her eyes. She set her broom against one of the wooden supports for the ceiling and walked over towards them.  
"Attic room, eh? Well… we don't have an attic room, but you can use the one on the left. Make yourself at home." She pointed to the room Aurora had rented from her previous stay. Aurora and Lydia had exchanged a look, suspicion rising in their expressions. They both slowly turned away from the woman, who now had her hands on her hips and was eying them doubtingly. They entered the room and closed the door, not wanting to draw attention.  
"Well, that was a waste of ten septims." Aurora stated dryly. "Now what?" She took a seat in the chair against the right wall and Lydia sat on the bed across from her.  
"I don't know my thane, that woman was acting awfully suspicious." Aurora nodded in agreement. As if the woman had heard them, the door opens and she quickly enters before shutting behind her. The two women eyed her in confusion.  
"Which one of you is the Dragonborn?" Lydia and Aurora shared a look. "There is no time for being a reluctant hero, so who is it?" Aurora spoke up.  
"I am. Why are you asking?" She said inquisitively. The woman walked to the locked chest at the end of the bed, and pulled out the artifact they had been looking for a few days prior. Their eyes widened when they saw what it was and Aurora quickly stood from her chair, Lydia following shortly after.  
"I think you're looking for this." She handed Aurora the horn and she eyed it carefully before placing it in her pack. "We need to talk. Follow me." Lydia gave Aurora a hesitant look before they both reluctantly followed the mysterious woman out of the room and across the lobby. They entered another rentable room, this one significantly larger than the other. The bed was much nicer than that of the other room, it was covered with a green wool blanket with a wooden frame that had poles coming from the headboard. It had two end tables on either side with horn-shaped lamps. There was a desk and a few more tables spread out around the room and a wardrobe near the far right corner. "Close he door behind you." Lydia did as she asked and the woman continued as she opened the wardrobe, then revealed a secret staircase behind the a wall built into it. "Now we can talk."  
They followed her down the stairs that led into a large square room, lined with stone walls and wooden posts for support. There was a large table with a map of Skyrim laid out on it and Aurora noticed a single book lying next to it. Aurora recognized the symbol to be close to that of which represented the Empire. It was a Dragon, its wings forming into a diamond-like shape with its head and tail extending from the middle, looking similar to a snake with just enough detail added to the ends to give it the essence of a dragon. The woman rounded the table and placed her palms flat on the surface, her arms spread out on each side of the map in front of her. "The Greybeards seem to think you're the Dragonborn. I hope they're right."  
"The Greybeards have said so, but many have seen proof of what she is capable of." Lydia spoke out.  
"Well, if you'll forgive me if I don't assume that something's true just because the Greybeards say so. I just handed you the horn of Jurgen Windcaller, does that make me Dragonborn too?" Aurora was not arrogant about the title the Greybeards had given her but she did not appreciate the woman's attitude towards her.  
"You'd better have a damn good reason for dragging me down here." Aurora stated, crossing her arms as she spoke.  
"This was the only way I could make sure it wasn't a Thalmor trap. I'm not the enemy, I already gave you the horn. I'm actually trying to help you. I just need you to hear me out." Aurora looked at Lydia and she shrugged. Aurora lifted her chin slightly before she spoke.  
"I'm listening…"  
"When I heard about the Dragonborn, I knew the Greybeards would send you to Ustengrav. They're nothing if not predictable. I'm part of a group that has been looking for you… well, someone like you, for a very long time. If you really are Dragonborn that is, but before I tell you anymore, I need to make sure I can trust you."  
"And how do I know if I can trust you?" Aurora countered.  
"If you don't trust me, then you were a fool to walk in here in the first place. When you showed up here, I knew you were the ones the Greybeards sent, and not some Thalmor plant." Aurora still found the woman rather suspicious, and she couldn't ignore he sinking feeling in her gut.  
"Wait… the Thalmor? What do the Altmer have to do with this?"  
"We are very old enemies. I think they have something to do with the dragons returning."  
"What makes you believe that?"  
"It isn't important, what is important is that you might be Dragonborn."  
"So, why were you looking for me?" Aurora asked.  
"We remember what most don't - that the Dragonborn is the ultimate dragon slayer. You are the only one that can kill a dragon permanently by devouring its soul. Can you do it? Can you devour a dragon's soul?" Aurora answered hesitantly.  
"I, uh… I wouldn't call it devouring…"  
"Many in Whiterun saw her absorb a light that emanated from the dragon they had slain. Many had immediately called her the Dragonborn then, and it was shortly after that the Greybeards summoned her." Lydia answered.  
"Well, I'll see for myself soon enough." Aurora's eyebrows shot up and her eyes widened.  
"What do you mean by that? What is it you are hiding from me?" Aurora demanded. Delphine sighed and looked towards the map on the table.  
"Dragons aren't just coming back, they're coming back to life. They weren't gone somewhere for all these years. They were dead, killed off centuries ago by my predecessors." Aurora shook her head in disbelief.  
"What could possibly bring them back to life?" Aurora asked, concern in her voice.  
"I'm not sure, but I need you to help me stop it. I've visited their ancient burial mounds and found them empty."  
"Burial mounds? You mean the stone mounds littered throughout Skyrim? Those contained dragon remains?" Aurora's brows bunched together in confusion. Delphine nodded as she continued.  
"Yes, and I've figured out where the next one will come back to life. We're going to go there, and you're going to kill that dragon." Aurora startled at her words and held her hands up to stop her from continuing.  
"Wait… wait… wait. You do know you sound tad mad? How in the Talos' name did you come to this conclusion?" Aurora's nerves were on edge, she wasn't about to go fight another dragon just because this woman had a hunch.  
"You should know… you got the map for me."  
"What map? That one?" She pointed to the map on the table, never having recognized or remembered doing such thing.  
"The Dragonstone you got for Farengar, it's a map of ancient dragon burial sites. I've looked at which ones are now empty. The pattern is pretty clear." She pointed down at the map as she continued, "It seems to be spreading from the southeast, starting in the Jeralls near Riften. The one near Kynesgrove is next if the pattern holds." Aurora crossed her arms again, mulling over the information that she just received. She thought back to when she returned to Farengar with the Dragonstone, and she recalled a woman dressed in leather armor and a hood speaking with him when she arrived. She hadn't paid her much attention then, but as the memory becomes clearer, she realizes it was the woman standing before her. She had no idea the Dragonstone had been a map, though she honestly couldn't understand any of the markings on the thing, not as if she had paid any close attention to it.  
"So you want me to go to Kynesgrove to kill a dragon that may or may not still be dead when we get there in hopes this pattern of yours stays true? You have not particularly gained my trust or what even feels like my time. You had me ask to rent a nonexistent room in your inn, after stealing an item the Greybeards sent me for, leaving me a more than mysterious note in its place and now you just want me to go hunt down a dragon with you." Delphine looked at her, her expression not changing. "You truly must be mad. Any sensible person would have left moments ago, yet I am still here. Why is that?"  
"Because, as the Dragonborn, you are meant to do this. The dragons need to be stopped and you are the only one who can do it."  
"You seem so sure of what I am supposed to do, yet the Greybeards feigned ignorance on the matter."  
"That is because those old men don't want you to use your power to its full potential. They would rather stay up on their mountain and read books than actually help with the real issues that are going on." Delphine's voice grew slightly harsher with her words, and with that Aurora grew more frustrated.  
"Give me one good reason I should go with you." Delphine replied immediately.  
"You need a dragon soul." Aurora tilted her head in confusion. "There was a word wall at Ustengrav, no doubt you saw it." Aurora's breathing deepened as Delphine continued. "I know you need a soul to attach to the word, and I haven't heard of any recent dragon slaying. So I know you have that little tick that's in the back of your head, waiting for a meaning." Aurora could feel the word Feim scratching in the back of her skull. She would ignore it at times, but it would always come back like some sort of rash. Aurora stared at the woman for a moment, she badly wanted to walk out and tell the woman to go kill the dragon herself but she couldn't ignore the word itching to get out. She turned to look at Lydia and she looked back expectantly.  
"I will follow you wherever you wish my thane." Aurora nodded and turned back to Delphine.  
"I am going to go return this horn to the Greybeards. It is only then I will meet you at Kynesgrove to slay this dragon. You just better hope you're right." She turned to walk out the door, Lydia following behind her. She wasn't sure she was ready to fight a dragon, but if she stopped with the Greybeards first, they may be able to give her more insight on the issue and maybe who this Delphine woman was. Of all the things she found uncertainty in, there was one thing she knew for sure. The dragons were back and she was the only thing in all of Skyrim that would be able to stop them.

The visit with the Greybeards had been quick. They taught her the last word of Unrelenting Force, so now her shout was more powerful than ever. She had only ever used it while in High Hrothgar, but she could feel her voice growing stronger. Her throat was not as strained and the shout was louder as well as more forceful. Master Arngeir had warned her about growing her new gift too quickly, making it more dangerous and she took his warning to heart. He assured her in the time it would take between learning new shouts, she should learn at a steady enough pace so that her voice would not overwhelm her.

After teaching her the rest of the shout, they had spoken to her in the dragon tongue. Lydia had to step outside as they spoke. Aurora had been placed in the middle and their shouts had caused the whole place to rumble and shake from the force of it. She bared through it though, and they welcomed her to return to High Hrothgar if she ever needed any further training or questions. She grew curious about the dragon tongue, another conversation she had with Master Arngeir. He had told her that as Dragonborn, it may come to her in time. The Greybeards had studied the dragon language for years before they learned or understood the words, the same they had done with the shouts. As Dragonborn, she held the blood of the dragon within her, easily making her capable of speaking the tongue without years of study. Aurora made a note to try and think on the words as much as she could to further understand them.

During the shouting ceremony, they gave her the title of Stormcrown. She was now Ysmir, Dragon of the North. She was unsure how she felt about the title as never having one before, but she could not help feeling a small sense of pride in the name. They had said dragons were very proud and she began to feel the part of the dragon within her that had been dormant all these years. With it, she worried. Dragon's were also cruel and some emotionless, she hoped that she could hold on to her humanity and not give in to the power as Arngeir had warned. She also tried to not be fearful of it, Delphine had told her that there was a greater use of her power and as much as she already disliked the woman, she knew there was some truth in her words.

Many of these thoughts swarmed in her head as she and Lydia made their way towards Kynesgrove. By the time they had arrived there was a snow storm flurrying around the small village and it only worsened Aurora's anxiety. She was not completely prepared for a battle with a dragon, but so far there were no signs of any. They stepped inside the Braidwood Inn, shocked at the similarities between the inn and the Sleeping Giant in Riverwood. It was warm though, and that was all they had cared about. Lydia did not have an issue with cold as a Nord, but Aurora was freezing. She may have spent a lot of her time in Eastmarch but she did not often venture close to Windhelm towards the north. If she did it was when the weather was slightly warmer (though warm was not a word to describe the place). Lydia brought over two bottles of mead for them, and they sat near the roaring fire, warming their hands.

It was only moments after they had settled in, that Delphine appeared. The Breton woman looked almost blue from the cold and Aurora pitied her more so than herself. Breton's had no tolerance for the cold whatsoever, and even Aurora was still half Nord, so she had at least built up some resistance to it. Delphine shook her head, brushing the snow off her hair. She joined them by the fire, still shivering. Aurora chuckled at the woman, who glared at her from the noise. She took a drink of her mead to keep from laughing at Delphine's reaction further. Aurora bought her a bottle a mead and started on a second one for herself as did Lydia.

"So, no sign of a dragon yet." Aurora said before sipping from her bottle. Delphine shook her head, still shivering from the cold. "We will wait til morning, if none has appeared by then we are heading back to Whiterun." She looked to Lydia, "We may have to stop in Falkreath Hold to catch that bear, we will take the road to the Southwest to get there, then make our way north back to Whiterun." Lydia nodded, accepting of the plan.

A few hours had gone by and Aurora made sure to only stick to the two bottles of mead, afraid of fighting a dragon, let alone fighting one with a buzz. She made sure to cut Lydia off as well, even though the woman assured her Nords could hold their mead better than other races. Aurora had at this point shared with Lydia her heritage. The woman did not judge her for her mixed race and it only made them that much closer. She even complimented her, saying she had received the best features of each race. Other than a strong resistance to the cold from her Nord side, Aurora was a distinguished archer, something she surely got from her Bosmer mother. Aurora had spoken of how her mother taught her at an early age, she learned to hunt by herself before she turned ten. Her mother also taught her her in the ways of stealth and uses for daggers. Aurora used to carry an enchanted dagger her mother gave her before her death, but she knew it was lost since her encounter with the Imperials. She grieved for the loss of the dagger and the amulet they had taken from her, but she tried to move on hoping one day she could gain at least gain a similar amulet to keep in memory of her mother.

Just before Aurora was about to call it a night and head to her room, there was a loud roaring sound coming from outside. Shortly after, someone busted through the inn doors, yelling about a dragon.

"Is the Dragon attacking?" Aurora asked the young, frightened woman trying to catch her breath.

"Well, no. I don't know what it's doing but I'm not waiting to find out." She said with a shaky voice. Aurora, Lydia and Delphine quickly grabbed their weapons and dashed out the doors to hear the dragon up at the hill by the burial mound.

"It looks like your hunch was right. I suppose I owe you something." Aurora said with surprise in her voice to Delphine.

"You can owe my by killing this dragon and proving your Dragonborn." Aurora nodded and they all ran up the hill together, remaining cautious about the dragon flying atop the hill. She could not tell what he was doing, he seemed to have no intention of attacking the village. There was a shout that echoed in the air and when they looked up, a stream of purple and blue light was coming from the ground where the burial ground was. They picked up their pace and she could hear the voice of the dragon as they approached.

_"Sahloknir! Ziil gro dovah ulse!"_ Aurora looked to the black dragon in recognition and she felt her heart sink. It was the same black dragon she saw at Helgen, whose red eyes were haunting her dreams and whose voice she heard in her sleep. She froze and Lydia bumped into her, then stopped looking at Aurora in concern.

"My Thane? What's wrong?" Lydia asked, looking between Aurora and the dragon.

"That dragon… it is the same that attacked at Helgen." She had forgotten how large he was. She remembered the dragon at Whiterun, but he was nothing in comparison to the demon that was before her now. Lydia tried to shake her, grasping her attention. Aurora slowly continued her ascent up the hill, crouching down, attempting to stay hidden. The dragon continued speaking when they reached the top of the hill, seeing the light emanating from the dragon burial mound.

"This is worse than I thought." Delphine said, she was shivering again and it showed through her voice. Aurora hoped it was because of the cold and not her fear of the dragon, though she would not blame her for being terrified of the beast.

_"Slen Tiid Vo!" _At the last words, the ground shook beneath them and they turned towards the dragon mound. There was a skeletal dragon climbing from its depths and Aurora's eyes widened in shock. The dragon crawled onto the ground outside the mound and spoke to the black dragon who had awoken it.

"_Alduin, thuri! Boaan tiid vokriiha suleyksejun kruziik?"_ Aurora tried to comprehend what they were saying. Though she had pondered the words only, one stook out. Alduin. She knew that word but it had no meaning to her. As the dragons began to speak, she realized it was a name. The black dragon's name. She was unaware these creatures had names or any type of identity but for some reason it did not shock her. While she thought on their words, they turned their heads towards them. Alduin chuckled as he spoke to her.

_"Ful losei Dovahkiin? Zu'u koraav nid no dov do hi"_ She only recognized the word Dovahkiin, as Dragonborn. Though she still did not know what he was saying, and fear rushed over her as he continued to speak to her. "You do not even know your tongue, do you? Such arrogance, to dare take yourself for the name of _Dovah_." He redirected his attention to the other dragon whose scaled and skin had slowly formed during the conversation. "_Sahloknir, krii daar joorre."_ Alduin quickly fled as the other dragon had risen, now flying above them.

"What did they say?" Delphine yelled over the wind and roaring dragon.

"I am not sure, but I think we should either run or try and slay this dragon because I do believe he has every intention of killing us at the command of the other dragon." Aurora ran out into the opening near the mound and drew an arrow. The dragon flew behind her and she turned as it landed. The dragon inhaled and she quickly ran and slid underneath it as it exhaled fire. She ended up on her back, under the dragon's stomach and she fired her arrow into the soft spot. The dragon took to the air once again and she got to her feet, readying another arrow. Before the dragon could go far, she aimed another arrow and discharged it, once again hitting the soft underbelly of the beast. She looked forward and saw Lydia had her bow in hand and was also firing at the dragon. She saw Delphine behind her but did not see if the woman was doing any damage before the Dragon flew over them, shouting more fire breath. Aurora ran into the hallowed burial mound before the fire could reach her and as the dragon passed she fired another arrow aimed at its wing. The dragon reared and landed in the mound. Aurora stepped back as it readied another shout towards Lydia. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them and exhaled the words came out of her with a force.

"_FUS-RO-DAH!"_ Thunder crackled around them and the dragon stumbled from the force. Aurora quickly withdrew and arrow, then aimed for the eye as he breathed fire towards Lydia and Delphine. Her arrow hit her mark and the dragon roared in pain. The dragon quickly turned, its tail coming straight at her. She ducked and the dragon began moving around wildly from the pain in its eye. Lydia ran to the dragon, her sword drawn and stabbed just beneath a wing as Aurora continued to support her with her bow. The dragon would not take flight again due to its slight blindness and they quickly subdued him and he finally fell to the ground, causing the earth to shake beneath him. Aurora placed her bow back over her shoulders and walked towards the dragon. The body began to turn to flame and ash as the familiar orange and purple light rose from it. The light swarmed around her and she was nearly blind from it until it became a dim aura around her. When it was gone, she suddenly had a clear mind, the word _Feim_ finally having meaning.

"Fade…" She murmured as she stared at the skeleton that was all that remained of the dragon.

"I… it's true, isn't it? You really are Dragonborn." Aurora looked towards Delphine and she slowly nodded her head, still staring at the dragon. "I owe you some answers, then, don't I? Go ahead. Whatever you want to know. Nothing held back." Aurora finally looked away and gave her attention to Delphine, noticing Lydia was by her side again. She had a lot of questions for this woman, and she was about to make sure she received every answer she wanted.

* * *

Delphine had made some decent points, but Aurora was still unconvinced the Thalmor were to blame for the dragons return. As terrible as they had become, she was sure that the dragon's return was not something the Thalmor was capable of. Aurora almost attacked Delphine when she insisted they infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy in Solititude. Lydia had to hold her back from smacking the woman. Though she explained that the group she belonged to, The Blades, were made to protect and help the Dragonborn, she sure wasn't keeping up her oath in that respect. She made sure to Delphine she would want no part in retrieving anything from the Thalmor, and if she was so convinced they had something to do with it that she should do it herself.

The Thalmor were guilty of many things, but this was not one of them. Aurora was not about to put herself in that situation over a so called hunch that was obviously driven by vengeance. That woman could not have possibly been completely straight in the head. Though when she mentioned the Civil War it made Aurora tense at her words. In that aspect, what Delphine said had made sense. She was there along with Ulfric, both of them set to be executed. That would have meant the end of the waryet the dragon interrupted the execution and the war was back in full force. The Thalmor definitely gains an advantage from Skyrim's weakened state. She did not know much about the reasons for fighting the war but she knew that Nords were fighting each other and it would only help the Thalmor gain more control. Even if Ulfric did win, the Empire would be weak enough for the Thalmor to become more involved.

She knew enough from her mother about the Great War and what had happened in Cyrodiil over twenty-five years prior. She was only a babe then, but it seemed her mother continued fighting the Thalmor, even as she grew older. They already held a firm grip on the Empire and she believed Skyrim's Civil War was tightening it. She wanted nothing to do with it, but the more she pondered the repercussions of it, she thought she may have to get involved if she was indeed as powerful as Delphine her to believe. Though, Master Argneir's warning continued to echo in her head and she put all thoughts of the war aside. There was a reason the Greybeards had stayed out of it, and she would have to see if it was a truly valid enough reason for herself. With Delphine's influence and the new matters she brought to attention, Aurora's life just became far more complicated.

* * *

**A/N: First, I had to add to this, I wanted to make a new chapter but couldn't make it long enough so I added to this one. Second, I hate Delphine, never liked her and never will so that will definitely reflect in my story. Next Chapter I'm going to really start focusing on the Companions quests. Review and Fave! Thanks for reading!  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: If you already read chapter six before this was posted, I added to it. So you will want to go back and reread or scan for the addon. I had wanted to split it into two chapters, but I just couldn't make them long enough separately. So make sure you do that before continuing on with this chapter. Sorry for the inconvenience. **

**Anyways, without further ado, Chapter 7. Enjoy!**

* * *

Aurora and Lydia had traveled through Falkreath Hold quickly before heading back to Whiterun. They easily tracked the bear to a cave near the Jerall Mountains border in the hold. They quickly traveled back north to Whiterun, stopping in Riverwood where Aurora visited Gerdur. Ralof had already made his way back towards Windhelm to help in the war and Aurora prayed silently for his safety before they left the following morning.

When they reached Whiterun, Aurora insisted Lydia take a day or two off to enjoy herself as she was hoping to do the same. She climbed the steps to Jorrvaskr and was greeted by a friendly Farkas. Her heart warmed to him as he swooped her up in a big bear hug, nearly squeezing all the air from her lungs.

"You were gone longer than we thought you would be." He said, setting her down with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Uh yeah, there were… complications." His brows knitted together in worry.

"What kind of complications? It was only a bear." She laughed at and shook her head.

"No, it wasn't the bear. We stopped in Riverwood to speak to the person who left that mysterious note in Ustengrav. Well, apparently she belongs to some ancient faction of Dragonborn protectors except she doesn't seem to know how to do her job." Farkas looked horribly confused and she laughed again at his expression. "Come on, I'll tell you all about it while we eat, I'm famished." They sat in the mead hall while she told him about her conversation with Delphine and slaying the dragon as well as her trip to High Hrothgar. He looked at her wide eyed and amused the entire time and she thought to herself that for once she had an interesting tale to share in the mead hall. Everyone had always shared their adventures and she never had one of her own to tell. Farkas was completely immersed in her storytelling and she found she enjoyed retelling the story when more companions joined them later and asked her for details. They all toasted to her conquering a dragon, even Vilkas who had arrived half way through her story.

That night she got horribly, and assuredly drunk. She had more than half a dozen bottles of mead and realized she had never been drunk before. She had always lived on the outskirts of society, drinking the few bottles she would find in a bandit camp or random abandoned cabin she came across but never found more than one or two. She had in fact drank so much Farkas influenced her enough to dance while they cheered her on. She had never done anything so wild and reckless and she loved it. Torvar had joined her in his equally drunken state. The man also found the courage to steal a sloppy smooch from her and her cheeks burned from the embarrassment, but everyone had cheered and laughed at his boldness. After that, she decided it was best she sit down with Farkas where she was most comfortable. The man made her feel light and happy, no one had accomplished that for her before. She found herself eying him in a different way then. She took in his broad chest and shoulders, his black hair and those silver eyes that were currently staring right back at her. She giggled and looked away, blushing and he laughed when she did. She bent her head, ashamed he had caught her ogling him, but then he reached out and held her hand and some of her tension eased.

She stood to head to the quarters in the basement and nearly toppled over, before Farkas caught her hand. "I'm not going to have to carry you down there am I?" Determined, she straightened herself and slowly walked towards the stairs. Farkas followed her closely, making sure she didn't hurt herself. She bummed into a few tables and stumbled up the steps to the landing before reaching the right side of the room. She stood at the top of the stairs and looked down, her vision playing tricks on her. She called out for Farkas' help and she jumped when he responded from behind her, not realizing how close she was.

"I may, possibly need help getting down the stairs. I do not trust myself to do it safely." She said, slightly swaying back and forth, still looking down the steps. Farkas laughed and was at her side, his hand on her back and his other hand holding hers.

"You have more sense than Torvar, I'll give you that. He's fallen down these steps, I don't know how many times. The man is a walking accident waiting to happen." She laughed as she heard Torvar holler something, but she couldn't make out what he said. He guided her across the hall and before she entered the main quarters, she turned her head towards him and spoke.

"You know I never asked, where do you sleep? There's only a few of us that sleep in this room?" She asked. He chuckled at her question, not expecting something so random.

"All the members of The Circle have their own room."

"Lucky Bastards. I swear if I have to listed to one more night of Torvar's snoring I'm going to punch him." She said laughing and he laughed with her.

"Yeah, I can hear it in my room sometimes, man is loud. It's all the drinkin' he does." Farkas guided her to her usual bed and she plopped down but didn't lay down yet. She sat up on her bed, her hands on the edges, staring up at him. He smiled down at her and raised and eyebrow at her expression. She giggled, covering her mouth as she did.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"I'm not quite sure. You just make me laugh, a lot. I didn't use to laugh, now that I think about it you may have been the first to make me laugh in years." His eyebrows bunched together and his look turned to that of sympathy. He softly smiled at her before responded.

"Well, I'm glad I can make you happy." He placed his right hand on her jaw and rubbed her cheek with his thumb. She let out a small gasp at the contact and seeing her reaction pulled at him. He sat down next to her, keeping his hand on her face. She looked him straight in the eye and he admired her bright yellow eyes. Her lips parted and her breathing was heavy. He could hear her heartbeat speed up and it pushed him on even further. He slowly leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, willing himself to pull away. Her eyes were closed when he looked at her and when they opened, he could see the lust in them. She let out a shuttered breath and his resolve faltered as he kissed her again, this time a bit more wanton. She kissed him back and he deepened the kiss, slanting his head and placing his other hand on the side of her neck, his fingers curling around the back. She let out a small moan, and it sent jolts of lust down to his groin. He pulled her as close as he could, tilting her head back to open her to him. Her lips parted and he took advantage of it, licking her bottom lip and then slowly letting his tongue enter her mouth. She moaned again and it took everything in him to not pick her up and carry her to his room.

All too soon, someone cleared their throat at the doorway and Aurora quickly broke away from the kiss. Her lips pink and slightly swollen as evidence of what they were just doing. They looked to see who interrupted them and saw Vilkas leaning against the door with his arms crossed. He gave Farkas a look and then turned and walked away, disappearing from sight. Aurora bent her head in embarrassment, and Farkas tilted her chin up to look at him. "Get some sleep okay? You've had a long couple of weeks." She nodded and he petted her hair before standing to leave.

Farkas left the room, frustrated and walked to his bedroom to see Vilkas standing in the hallway. He rolled his eyes at him as he passed, entering his bedroom while Vilkas followed.

"I could smell you two from my bedroom. She is drunk, what were you thinking?" Vilkas scolded his brother.

"I like her, that's what I was thinking. What's it matter to you anyway?" Vilkas' jaw tensed before replying.

"It doesn't. Though imagine what she would have felt like once she realized what she did in a compromised state. You know she wouldn't do that if she was sober Farkas." He glared at him, and Farkas glared back.

"You don't know that. You don't know even know her. We've gotten real close when we are around each other and we like the other's company. What was so wrong about kissing her?"

"You and I both know the answer to that. It would not have ended with that, it never does Farkas, not with you." Farkas scoffed before shaking his head. "You know I'm right." Vilkas stared at him intently, and Farkas bent his head to keep from looking at him. Vilkas waited for a reply, but then just walked across the hall to his own room.

Farkas sat on his bed for a few moments, his head in his hands. He knew Vilkas was right, Vilkas was always right. He was so close to doing some more with her, and she may have let him just because she was drunk. Guilt filled his heart and he sighed, silently thanking Vilkas for his intervention. Farkas knew, though, that if she acted that way drunk there may be some deeper feelings there. He would just have to work on revealing them when she was sober. He liked her a lot. She had an innocence to her, but at the same time there was a fire in her eyes, he saw it tonight and it burned inside him too. He wanted her more than he's wanted any other woman and he wasn't going to stop trying till she was his.

* * *

Aurora woke up the next morning, her head pounding. She moaned as she sat up, and she held her head in her hand, while trying to steady herself. Torvar was on the bed across from her smiling. She squinted her eyes at him and his smile widened. He took the tankard that was sitting on the end table and handed it to her. She accepted it and looked in it to just see plain water.

"It'll help trust me, the drunk would know." Torvar said and she nodded her head before she gulped down the water. He laughed and took the cup from her and she rubbed her eyes with the palms of her hands. "Next time, you might want to go a little slower on the mead." She nodded again and he stood as she did. She lost her balance a moment, but he helped her regain it before she headed out of the room. She noticed she was still fully dressed and assumed she must have passed out that way. She headed up the stairs and when she smelt someone cooking fish she nearly lost the contents in her stomach. When she appeared in the mead hall a majority of the companions were there and greeted her loudly. She covered her ears as they all laughed at her reaction. She took a seat next to Farkas and crossed her arms on the table and laid her head in them face down. He rubbed her back as he laughed.

"Feel that bad, huh?" She simply nodded her head, not lifting it from the table. "Well, don't worry, it'll only last a day or so." She groaned and he laughed even harder at her. He poured a glass of water and nudged her arms so she'd raise her head. He handed it to her and she sipped on the water as he got her a plate of food. "Eating will help sober up to, try some bread and cheese." She took the cut loaf of bread on her plate and started nibbling on it, taking sips of water in between. After she felt a little better she thanked him him and stood to return to the basement. She needed a bath and to change clothes, knowing surely she probably reeked of ale.

She stumbled through the basement hall to the washroom, rubbing her eyes, still trying to gain consciousness. An all too familiar voice stopped her and she almost whined at it. Vilkas was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed as per his usual stance and she groaned at him.

"Rough night, eh?"

"Ugh, what do you want Vilkas? Don't you have better things to do than lean against things and chastise people?" She thought she saw a small smile on his lips but it disappeared all too quickly.

"What do you remember of last night?" He asked, those intense eyes staring her down. They were the same as Farkas' but his were so fierce. She could almost feel her blood boil from it.

"Why are you asking?" She said, exhaustion pouring from her voice.

"No reason." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're lying." His expression didn't even flinch.

"What makes you say that?" She took a deep breath, suffering from his heated gaze.

"Because you wouldn't waste your time asking me a question if there wasn't a reason behind it." He slightly tilted his head and didn't reply for a moment. She stood there and crossed her arms. "What did I do?" He actually chuckled as he moved away from the wall towards her, and dropped his arms to his sides. He stood right in front of her, looking down at her and she had to crane her neck back to look at him, those silver eyes staring right through her.

"Go ask my brother." He said flatly before walking away. She looked at the back of his head as he left and she clenched her hands, furious with the man. What was that supposed to mean? She huffed out a breath as she continued towards the washroom.

After she scrubbed herself clean, still thinking about Vilkas' words, she decided she would speak with Farkas after she finished. She put on some fresh clothes, already feeling her hangover lighten from her bath. She passed Aela in the hall and stopped her before Aela got too far away from her. "Um, where is Farkas' room? I needed to speak with him." Aela gave her a knowing look and pointed down the adjacent hall to their left. She nodded her thanks and walked down the hall to see two rooms on opposite sides of the hall. She bit her lip, unsure of which one to choose. She decided to go with her gut and she knocked on the door to her left. She heard shuffling around in the room when the door opened, she was relieved to see Farkas smiling down at her.

"Well, that's not what I was expecting." He said with a grin still on his face. She smiled back at him as he invited her in. She looked around the room, the most notable piece of furniture was the bar opposite of the door. She chuckled to herself at the sight of it. She turned and saw a single person bed against the opposite wall next to the door. Across from the bar was a small table and a couple of chairs with some plates of food on the table. Farkas left the doors open and he took a seat on his bed before speaking to her, pulling her from her thoughts. "What brought you here?" She turned to look at him and took a deep breath.

"It was something your brother said to me actually." Farkas' eyebrows raised and she wasn't sure she could place the expression on his face. Surprise or shock, maybe? There was something else there as well, but she could not put her finger on it.

"Was he bothering you? I know he can be a grouch, but he gets better in time." He said to her.

"Oh, it isn't that. Well, I mean he is, but that's not why I wanted to talk to you. He ah, he caught me earlier saying I should ask you about last night? To be honest, I don't remember much and I feel like I did something horrible if his tone was any indication." Farkas froze and she noticed the change in him. She stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to answer. "Dear gods, was it that bad?" She let out a small laugh as she spoke and he rubbed his hand down his face.

"I might just kill my brother for making me do this." She looked at him quizzically waiting for him to continue. "Last night, when you went to bed, I had to help you down the stairs. After I escorted you to your room…" Her eyes got wide and she took in a deep breath as her memory began to slowly come back to her. "We didn't do anything, I mean we did, but nothing bad." He said quickly trying to calm her. "Vilkas stopped me before we could get far."

"Get far? What do you mean by that?" He stared at her and opened his mouth to speak but nothing came from it. She shook her head and looked down at the floor. She covered her face with both of her hands and let out a groan as the realization hit her. "I'm so stupid." She said through her hands. Farkas stood and walked over to her pulling her hands from her face.

"You're not stupid. You were drunk, and I didn't have a clear head either." She wouldn't look at him, so he took his fingers and tilted her chin up to see her face. "I like you, but I understand if you don't…" She interrupted him before he could finish.

"Farkas, I haven't done anything like that or like this. I have never been around the same people for this long and quite frankly, I am not entirely sure what to make of this. Everything is so new to me. Being here around all these people, having a family, friends, you." She sighed looked away from him again. "It's quite confusing for me actually. So much has changed in this past month and I'm so overwhelmed."

"It's okay. I understand. If you want we can just stay friends, I just enjoy your company." He bent his head to look at her and she returned a small smile. He smiled back before continuing. "But I do like you. I just want you to know that." She bit her lip at his comment and the look she gave him nearly tore through him.

"We should really just, start slow. I don't know what I feel right now. I have been so worried about everything and I'm closed off. I do not know what I can give you." He smiled at her before responding.

"Just give me your friendship and I will be happy." Her smile returned and she nodded her head. Friendship seemed like something she could do. She did after all, enjoy being around Farkas as well, and she found herself making friends easier than she used to. Maybe things would look up for her and her social life if she continued down this path.

* * *

A few weeks had passed, Aurora continued to help with jobs for the companions. She had tracked down a woman who was kidnapped from Whiterun and felt good when she returned her to her family. They had all thanked her many times and offered her more gold than what they had already given the companions, but she refused, just happy to see she could make a difference. They had also sent her out on some other minor jobs, she at one point had to fight the bard Mikael in the Bannered Mare when he began stirring up too much trouble with the women in Whiterun. That was something she actually enjoyed doing, seeing as he had said some very crude things to her in the past. She admitted it felt good punching him in the nose and Farkas had been there to cheer her on. He roared with laughter when the bard had practically surrendered after two punches.

During those few weeks Farkas and Aurora grew closer. They had gone on a few jobs together and bonded during that time, even though there was a third member with them. Though, Aurora found everyone had begun to grow on her. Torvar continuously tried to make her his new drinking buddy, but she swore to never drink so much after that first night. She and Aela both practiced their archery together as often as they could. Each of them were skilled in their own ways and would give each other tips on how to improve. Aurora showed her how to shoot two arrows at once, though it was not something she did often, it could be useful when in a tight spot. Even Vilkas had helped her train to train with swords. She still preferred daggers, but found dual wielding lighter blades to her liking as well.

During her training, her thoughts consistently went to her responsibilities as the Dragonborn. She knew she would have to get better if she were to fight and slay dragons, knowing a bow would only do so much. She was still unsure how many dragons had been raised since Kynesgrove but there were only a few rumors that reached Whiterun about dragon attacks. She had not used her thu'um since her last encounter with the dragon in Kynesgrove and she began planning a trip to High Hrothgar so she could more fully develop her voice.

She was sitting in the mead hall at the long table, reading one of the books Kodlak had let her borrow. Her mother taught her to read when she was young and she had always loved it. When she was on the road by herself, she would scavenge the bandit camps to find any books she could. Even though they were savages, they still managed to keep a few good stories lying around. She heard footsteps approaching and turned to Skjor pulling out the chair next to her taking a seat. She closed her book and turned towards him. "Good afternoon Skjor, what can I do for you?" He smiled at her. Though the man was horribly intimidating with his blind eye and the scar down his cheek, he had warmed to her quickly and she saw him in a fatherly way. He too had helped her train often when Vilkas was in too grumpy of a mood to be around her. He often had sound advice and was always patient and helpful with her. She never had a father before and easily took to the man when he guided her. She always went to him for jobs and soon she didn't even have to ask him before he would approach her any time he had a new one for her.

"I got something special for you this time." He said to her a slight smile on his face. "Last Week a scholar came to us. He said he knew where we could find another fragment of Wuuthrad." Aurora's eyes shot to the wall where the other fragments were mounted. The large battleaxe had been wielded by Ysgramor himself and was shattered into multiple fragments after his crusade against the snow elves thousands of years prior. The companions had spent that time to track the pieces down and many of them were here in Jorrvaskr. She could see the basic outline of the weapon, but there were still obviously a couple pieces missing. "Man seemed a foot to me, but if he's right, the honor of the Companions demands that we seek it out."

"You want me to retrieve it?" She said with an excited smile and he returned it.

"This is just a simple errand, but the time is right for it to be your Trial. Carry yourself with honor, and you'll become a true Companion." Her grin widened at that and he couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. She was so hesitant when she first came to them and he's watched her blossom into someone much more sure of herself. He was glad to see her stay and knew she would not disappoint. "Farkas practically begged to be you Shield-Sibling on this venture. Don't let him get himself killed or injured." She laughed and stood as she quickly hugged him, surprising the older man, but he laughed at her as she ran towards the quarters yelling for Farkas.

She felt at home at Jorrvaskr, something she was not used to feeling. She was more than excited to officially be considered a Companion and couldn't be happier that Farkas was going on the job with her. She dashed over to his room and as she turned the corner she ran into a hard body. She almost fell back, but a hand reached out and caught her arm before she hit the ground. She was yanked back up to a standing position and she saw Vilkas steadying her with his other hand. Her eyes widened as a slew of apologies left her mouth. He glared at her before he spoke. "You should watch where you're going."

She nodded and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"

"Just be more careful next time." He said to her. She stared at him, then realizing he was still holding onto her arm.

"I'm sorry, I will." She whispered the words. He slowly released his grip from her arm. She cleared her throat as she ducked around him and walked into Farkas' room after knocking slightly. He turned to look at her over his shoulder as she entered his brother's room and stood there a moment before walking back down the hall.

"Farkas! Skjor is sending me on my trial!" She exclaimed at him and smiled at her as he came around from his spot behind the bar.

"Yeah, I know, he told me." He was smiling mischievously at her and she laughed before responding.

"He said you begged to go with me." He scoffed at her comment.

"I did not beg." She lifted an eyebrow at him and he couldn't help laughing at the expression. "Okay, maybe a little, but I wanted to be there with you. This is important."

"Well, I'm glad you're the one to come with me. Where are we going?" She asked.

"Dustman's Cairn. It isn't too far outside Whiterun. It should only take less than a day to get there. Hurry and go pack and we'll leave today." She quickly turned and ran to the rest of the companion's quarters to gather her things. She grabbed her bow and quiver filled with steel arrows that had red feathered ends. She bought a simple steel sword from Adriane when she had begun training with one handed weapons, and she made sure to hook it onto her belt along with the two iron daggers she carried. She also crafted a pair of leather boots to match her armor. Aela had loaned her some of her old armor from when she was younger. It was a bit revealing but she always wore leggings and a tunic underneath. She had on a hide vest that hugged her curves over the beige linen tunic she wore. There was a matching hide skirt to match that only went halfway down her thighs, so she pulled on a pair of leather leggings and tucked them into her leather boots that came up to her knees and fastened the matching leather bracers on her forearms over some fingerless gloves she had Tilma knit for her. When she was fully dressed and had all her weapons she grabbed her pack, filled it with a few potions and some food for the trip as well as a few extra arrows. She met Farkas in the mead hall and they head out from Whiterun to the west towards their destination. Aurora was almost shaking from the excitement, she was finally going to be a companion. She was finally going to have a family.

* * *

Aurora and Farkas walked down the stairs to the large clearing in Dustman's Cairn. There was a large octagon stone platform in the center, two empty ancient Nord thrones to the left as well as random shelves around the walls. They both peaked around, there was an enchantment table off to the left of where the thrones were and Aurora found it peculiar that you could find these things in abandoned crypts. She continued to the far side of the room where there was a gated entrance blocking the way through. She called over to Farkas as she inspected the gate. "We need to find a way to open this gate. There's a switch somewhere in here I'm sure. There always is." She ventured over to the open room to the left of it and found a few health potions and a stamina potion that she placed in her pack. She then turned and saw a steel level sitting against the wall. "I found it!" She hollered over her shoulder as she pulled the lever. There was a large crashing sound and she turned around to see the gate at the entrance of the room closing behind her. She ran to it, but wasn't quick enough and banged on the metal bars separating her from Farkas in the other room. She walked back to the lever and pulled on it with all her strength but it wouldn't budge. Farkas walked over to the gate and laughed at her. She scowled at him as he spoke.

"Now look what you've gotten yourself into." He shook his head as he continued chuckling. She tried the lever again, but it remained stuck in its place.

"The lever is stuck. You better find a way to get me out of here."

"No worries. Just sit tight and I'll find the release." Just as he turned to walk towards the other room where the gate was now open, a half a dozen bandits strolled in with their weapons ready. One of them spoke as they all surrounded Farkas and Aurora continued to try and get the gate to open, knowing he couldn't take them all at once.

"It's time to die dog! We knew you'd be coming here." Farkas readied his great sword and Aurora had no choice but to try and shoot her arrows through the space in the gate if anything happened. It would be difficult and even with her skills she was unsure if she could be of any real help. She worried for Farkas as the bandits continued to converse amongst themselves.

"Which one is that? A woman spoke.

"It doesn't matter. If he wears that armor he dies." The man pointed towards Farkas, referencing to the Wolf armor that matched the rest of those who belonged to the Circle.

"Killing you will make for an excellent story." The woman replied. They all closed in on Farkas and Aurora withdrew her bow and aimed her arrow, ready to fire when he needed it.

"None of you will be alive to tell it." Farkas growled. He dropped his sword and began ripping off his armor. Aurora began yelling for him from the gate as Farkas fell to his hands and knees and she heard the gods awful sound of bones breaking. As she looked closer she fell silent and saw his bones shifting and replacing themselves within his body. His nails grew sharper and he was groaning in pain as his transformation took him. She backed away from the gate as black fur started growing from his skin and a tail sprouted from him. His transformation completed when he grew a snout and he bared his teeth as he stood and roared. Aurora was backed against the wall, terror filled her as she saw Farkas transform into the beast that was before her. The bandits attacked him and he quickly disposed of them, ripping their flesh from their bones and tearing them apart. She closed her eyes and fell to the ground as the blood curdling screams reached her ears. Suddenly there was silence and she kept her eyes closed, taking quick breaths through her nose. After a few moments she heard the gate open, but she remained in her spot, eyes still closed. She heard someone shuffling around for a few minutes until finally she heard Farkas' voice. "Aurora?" She didn't open her eyes to look at him and she could feel him close to her. She felt his hand touch her arm and she flinched as she opened her eyes to look at him crouched next to her.

His heart sank into his stomach as he saw her eyes were filled with pure terror. He wanted to console her, but he didn't know how. She was afraid of him. He pulled his hand back from her arm and he sat down next to her and kept eye contact with her. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke to her, keeping his voice low and soft. "I'm sorry I scared you." She didn't pull her eyes away from him.

"What was that?" She asked with a shuddering breath, her lips slightly trembling from her fear. Farkas sighed before answering.

"It's a blessing given to some of us. We can be like wild beasts… fearsome." Her eyes widened as she squeaked out her next words.

"You're going to turn me into a werewolf?" Her voice got higher as she spoke and he quickly shook his head.

"No… no, only the Circle have the beastblood." He tried to sound comforting, but wasn't sure if it was helping.

"So… Aela? Sjkor? Kodlak? You and Vilkas? You're all…" She didn't finish as she took in a deep shuddering breath.

"Yes, we're werewolves, but we chose to be like this. Kodlak though, the old man is looking for a cure, so is Vilkas. We're trying to fix this." She looked to the ground, still breathing heavy. "I'm sorry, I know this is a lot to take in. I didn't have a choice, they would have killed us both." She didn't move. "Please Aurora…" He pleaded with her as he moved closer. She didn't look at him, but she didn't flinch away again either. He slowly reached for her chin, and moved her to look at him. The look she gave him broke his heart, it was filled with fear and he could smell he anxiety from her. "I'm still me. I'm not different than the person I was ten minutes ago."

"But…" she took another deep breath before continuing, "Werewolves eat people. I've heard the rumors, their fierce and unforgiving animals." He flinched at her words but she continued. "You are none of those things, I don't understand." Her lips were trembling and he saw her eyes shine with unshed tears.

"Those of us in the Circle, we have control over it. We don't feast on the innocent. Me, Vilkas and Kodlak, we haven't even changed in months. We have been trying to put it off until Kodlak finds a cure."

"What of Aela and Skjor?" He sighed.

"Their thoughts on the beastblood is a little different. But they don't harm anyone. I promise we are all still good people." She looked at him, silent, for a few moments. She searched her eyes, hoping she'll understand. She took one more deep breath and then stood. He stood with her and she walked silently out of the room and continued through the crypt. They came across a few more bandits before she spoke.

"Who are these people, and why did they want to kill you?" She asked him, her voice calm and low.

"They're part of a group called the Silver Hand. They're werewolf hunters, they've been enemies to the Companions for years now. They hadn't known about us until someone that was part of the Circle started acting a little too rogue for our tastes. We kicked him out of the Circle but had already gained the attention of the Silver Hand." She nodded as they continued through the crypt, occasionally coming across a few more Silver Hand or Draugr.

After a few long minutes of silence Farkas finally spoke to her. "Aurora will you please say something?" She stopped and turned to look at him. The fear was gone from her eyes, but there was still a hint of uncertainty there.

"What is there to say? You and all of the people I am close to are werewolves. I don't know what to think about that. I'm so confused, I am always confused now. I just want to finish this." She turned back and continued walking. He followed her, but his heart ached from her reaction. He just hoped she wouldn't leave and go back to the life she had before this. He would miss her dearly and wasn't sure how well he would handle it.

They reached another hall filled with open tombs and she readied her arrow, looking for sleeping Dragr. The hall was a bit longer and she stopped in front of the door at the end. She turned around and Farkas looked at her intently, confused at her expression.

"What's wrong?" He asked her.

"There were no Draugr in this hallway."

"I would call that a good thing…" He replied. She shook her head, her eyebrows bunched together.

"No, that is not normal." She let out a rough breath through her nose and analyzed the hall once more before slowly turning and opening the door. When she walked through she froze. There was another word wall at the end of the room, which was the first thing she noticed. That was not what scared her, the second thing she noticed was the dozens of sarcophagi throughout the room. Farkas whistled at the sight and her mouth was opened as she shook her head. She swallowed loudly before slowly walking towards the word wall at the end of the room.

"What is that?" Farkas asked as they approached the wall, he was staring up at the dragon head mounted in the center.

"This is a word wall." She replied calmly. "This is where I find new shouts. I saw the first in Bleak Falls Barrow and another in Ustengrav when I went to retrieve the horn of Jurgen Windcaller for the Greybeards. She began to hear the familiar chanting luring her towards the wall. When she climbed he steps leading to it, Farkas noticed the fragment of Wuuthrad placed on the table in front of the wall, along with some health potions and large gems she had seen before but did not know their use. She passed the table and walked to the glowing blue word on the wall and placed her hands on each side of it as the darkness began to take her. She could barely hear Farkas call her name as she absorbed the word in her mind. "_Yol" _She whispered before she opened her eyes. Her forehead was placed against the wall and Farkas was standing next to her, a look of worry on his face. She took a deep breath and stepped away from the wall. "I am fine Farkas." She assured him as she turned and grabbed the fragment then placed it in her pack. He did not look convinced, but nodded at her anyways.

"Come on, let's get back to Jorrvaskr." As they headed towards the stairs to their right, she heard the all too familiar sound of a sarcophagus opening. They both turned to see a Draugr stepping from its coffin and its eyes glow as it spotted them. She withdrew her bow and an arrow, but then they heard another sarcophagus open, then another. Soon multitudes of Draugr were staring them down and she heard Farkas withdraw his great sword. "Stay behind me and support from me from a distance." He moved in front of her and she grabbed his shoulder. He stopped and looked at her, confused. She moved in front of him and stood in the middle of the room as the large group of Draugr closed in on them. She took a deep breath when they got close and closed her eyes. When her eyes shot open, the shout flew from her mouth.

"_FUS-RO-DAH!"_ The majority of the Draugr went flying across the room and she aimed an arrow and fired it at the nearest Draugr, the arrow piercing through its skull. Farkas ran ahead of her, slashing down any that got too close to her. The Draugr she hit with her shout were slowly standing and she tried to take them out before they got back to their feet.

Farkas was making quick work of the rest of the Draugr and soon, there were only a few left standing. Aurora went to fire another arrow when a sharp pain came from her side and she let our a cry. She fell to her side and looked up to see a Draugr standing next to her that had sneaked up and slashed its sword on the side of her abdomen. She held her hand to the bleeding wound and tried to scoot away as the Draugr pursued her. She yelled for Farkas and when he turned to see her, his eyes flared with fury. He let out a battle cry as he charged at the Draugr standing above her and swung his great sword at it, cutting it in two. He returned to the remaining Draugr behind him and when they were all lying in a heap of bones and rusted armor he ran over to Aurora who now had a small puddle of blood beneath her. He fell to his knees next to her and moved her hand from her wound to see the cut was an inch or two deep. She breathed through gritted teeth when he placed her hands back over it and pushed down to add pressure to stop the bleeding.

"There are some health potions in my pack." He looked over behind him to the pack that had been cut off her when the Draugr attacked. He quickly grabbed it and sifted through it withdrawing few bottles filled with red liquid. He uncorked the bottle and lifted her tunic and hide vest to reveal a nasty gash in her side. He looked at her as he spoke.

"This is gonna sting… a lot." She nodded and he poured the potion over her cut and she groaned in pain as the liquid entered her wound. After he used the entire bottle, he opened another and did the same, but only used half as the wound had already begun to heal. After a few moments, all that was left was a pink scar. He pulled her shirt back down and she breathed deeply as he pulled her up and held her against his chest. She was surprised from such close physical contact, but soon she gave into it and wrapped her arms around his back.

"Thank you." She mumbled into his armor and he kissed the top of her head.

"Don't scare me like that again." He said as he tilted her head up to look at him. She noticed he was also breathing heavy still from the fighting. His lips were parted and the way he looked at her caused heat to rise on her skin. He looked down at her in his arms, and he couldn't resist any longer. He bent his head down and placed his lips on hers. She was tense for a moment, and he almost pulled away, but then he felt her relax in his arms. He held her head in his right hand and didn't want to let her go. After a moment he finally pulled his lips from hers and thought he heard a moan escape from her. She looked up at him with those eyes that were like his sunshine and he smiled down at her. To his surprise, she smiled back up at him and his heart melted.

He helped her sit up and brought her to her feet with him. She stumbled a bit, and he held onto her while he regained her balance. "You're probably going to feel lightheaded from the blood loss." She nodded in understanding and her hand went to her head as she closed her eyes. "We can make camp outside the crypt and rest for the night before heading back to Whiterun. You need to regain some strength." She reached down and grabbed her pack, tying the broken ends together so she could sling I back over her shoulder. He held onto her elbow as they left the tomb and when they were outside it was already getting dark.

He had her sit down while he prepared fire and found something for them to eat. He sat next to her and he noticed she kept peeking up at him through her hair. Finally, after watching her do it a few more times, he brushed her hair behind her ear and held her gaze for a moment. She blushed and looked away from him, but retained a small smile on her face. He laughed at her shyness and brought his hands to her face and gave her a chaste kiss. He heard her heart beat speed up when he pulled away and he just looked at her, feeling the heat of her skin. She spoke softly to him as he stared at her.

"I'm so confused."

"That's because you're thinking too much." He told her, not pulling away from her. She closed her eyes and she sighed. He pulled her to him and she willingly rested head head on his shoulder and they both sat like that as they watched the fire. In a matter of moments he heard a breathing steady and her heart beat steadied and when he looked at her, he saw she was asleep. He smiled at the sight of her looking so peaceful. He lay back, still holding her in his arms. Her head rested on his right arm as a pillow and he curled himself around her, her back to his chest. He pulled her closer to his body rested his other arm over her protectively. He lay awake listening to her breathing for a few moments before he closed his eyes and fell asleep with her. For once in a long time, his sleep actually felt peaceful.

* * *

**A/N: Okay so we're finally moving forward in the Companion's quest line. Farkas and Aurora definitely have a thing going on, so I'm excited to hear your feedback on that. I've never written those types of scenes before so this was something a little different for me, but I was actually excited to write it. We'll see some more character development in the next few chapters, so make sure you follow to keep with the updates. **

** I'm starting a new job next week so I probably won't be updating as much, but I'll try to at least post once a week. Thanks everyone for reading! Don't forget to Fave/Review.  
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	8. Chapter 8

Aurora awoke, her body stiff from sleeping on the ground. Her vision was fuzzy and she groaned has she went to sit up, but noticed something was holding her down. She looked to see a large, muscled arm draped around her and when she turned to look behind her she saw Farkas' serene face, fast asleep. She wasn't sure what to think, she remembered resting on him last night while they sat by the fire, but she shortly fell asleep afterwards. She lay there for a few minutes, trying to think of what she would do. Would he be upset if she moved? Should she just wait for him to awake? She had never been in a situation such as this before, and she could feel her anxiety slowly rising.

She did not have to think of what to do much longer, as Farkas began to stir and she saw his silver eyes stare at her once they were open. He smiled at her and it warmed her heart. She liked Farkas, but did she like him in that way? The few times he had kissed her, she had definitely felt something, but she was unsure of what it was. She had never been with a man in that way before, and she could tell he was far more experienced in the matter. His smile faded as he noticed her blank expression and he slowly released her from his hold, and she thought she could see a tinge of pink rise in his under the black war paint and his eyes looked as if he had just lost something dear to him. She felt sad at this expression and so she game him a small reassuring smile.

Yes, she would have to think more about her feelings for Farkas. Maybe get some advice from Aela, the woman had been with a man more than enough times to count and she knew she could give her sound advice. Even Lydia would probably be decent help. She made a mental note to speak to them when she and Farkas arrived back in Whiterun.

She also could not forget what she saw while they were in Dustman's Cairn the night before. Farkas had revealed that he, along with the rest of the Circle, were werewolves. Though he was still the kind and friendly man she knew, she could not help but look at him a little different. She felt somewhat deceived by the entire Circle but could not also blame them. It was not as if they could just introduce themselves and immediately reveal such a secret. She now understood why they all wore the wolf armor, with Aela as the exception. That was just one more thing she would have to talk to someone about. Maybe Skjor or Kodlak, both men were old enough to be more knowledgeable on the subject and would give her more insight on how she should feel about it. She obviously was not supposed to know, but it was that or death. She would choose knowing and keeping the secret any day rather than giving up her or Farkas' life.

They started their small journey back to Whiterun. They were silent for the first hour or so, in comparison to the rather talkative trip they had on the way to Dustman's Cairn. After about an hour or so of silence, she finally decided it was best to break the ice. As confused and unsure about her feelings she was, she knew she had considered Farkas a friend and did not want to lose that. If they were to completely reconcile, she would have to address the Mammoth in the room.

"So…" She started with a nervousness in her voice, "Werewolves?" He looked at her and let out a small laugh.

"Yeah. I really wish there would have been a better way for you to find out, but I didn't have much of a choice." She could hear the regret and sorrow in his voice. It made her feel a guilty about reacting as she did the previous day.

"Isn't that the truth." She said, and she peeked at him from out the corner of her eye. "What is it like?" She hesitantly asked,

"Being a werewolf?" She nodded. "There's sort of this sense of power you get from it. I'm sure it's nothing like being Dragonborn but, I feel stronger, my senses are heightened but there's a certain blood lust that comes with it. We also don't get a restful sleep, that's one of the biggest downsides. Some of us handle it differently though."

"How so?" She asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Well, for example, Vilkas probably handles it the worst. He had a real difficult time controlling it, sometimes still does. After my first couple of transformations I was able to control it better, but Vilkas… he had it a lot harder." She could understand that, the man was walking fury. "There are certain triggers for everyone, and Vilkas just seemed to have more than the rest of us. I feel sorry for Kodlak. He was our forbear and whoever thought it was a good idea to turn both me and Vilkas at the same time must have been an idiot. I know I'm not that smart, but that was just a disaster waiting to happen."

"What do you mean when you say he were your forbear?"

"In order to change we have to drink the blood of a transformed werewolf. Kodlak had offered, that was before he started looking for a cure. Skjor and another guy who was kicked from the Companions a while back was there too, Arnbjorn. The three helped keep us under control during our first transformation. Everyone kinda blacks out their first time, but don't worry, we didn't harm anyone."

They were silent a while longer, before she found another question to ask.

"Does it hurt? You seemed like you were in a lot pain." She looked up at him, there was worry in her eyes.

"Yeah, it does, not as much as it used to though. It hurts worse when you fight it."

"You still have control when you're… you know." She asked.

"Yeah, I still have complete control over everything I do. Though sometimes, people lose themselves to it. They change too much or can't learn to fight it and they go feral. They lose their humanity, completely transform into their wolf form. Those are probably the ones you hear horror stories about."

"That one man, that you kicked from the Circle. Did he change too much?"

"It wasn't so much that he changed too much, but what he did. We would send him out on jobs and he'd botch it by changing. He didn't really view the beast blood the same way as we did and he became more of a liability. He's the reason the Silver Hand is after us."

"Yes, I recall you mentioning that. Did they not know before?"

"Not sure. But really, it's a secret that everybody knows." She laughed a little at his statement.

"I'm sorry for how I acted before. I had been just so… shocked. I had never seen anything like that before, though I'm adding to my list of unseen things these past few weeks. Over a month ago I wasn't able to shout things at people and knock them back twenty feet."

"Yeah, I have to say I was rather impressed by that. The minute those Draugr went flying my jaw nearly dropped." She smiled at him. She couldn't help but enjoy the power she felt when she used her shout.

"Is that the only one you know?" He asked her.

"I learned a second one from the Greybeards. And when me and Lydia went to Ustengrav, then to Kynesgrove to defeat that dragon, I learned part of one. I haven't used it to see what it does though. I also have the word of one from the word wall you saw, but I don't yet know what it means. The word practically itches at the back of my mind until I absorb another dragon soul. It's like a constant reminder of what I am and what I need to do."

"That's kinda like the beast blood. After a while it just begs to get out, it's like an itch that won't go away." He paused and a devious smile formed on his face. "We're in the middle of Whiterun plains, you should test that other shout." She looked at him, her eyes wide.

"I could kill you. I'm honestly too terrified to see what it does."

"I can stand back a distance if that makes you feel better?" He looked at her, she saw his eyes filled with hope and excitement and she didn't want to resist him. She smiled and gave in.

"Fine, but get far away and behind me, I don't want to hurt you." He took a few steps back as she walked forward. She knew what the word meant, fade. What it would fade was the question though. "Are you ready?" She shouted over her shoulder and he quickly replied with excitement in his voice. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The shout then escaped her mouth with a force, though not as strong as Unrelenting Force.

"_FEIM!"_ She heard Farkas' exclamation from behind her and when she turned, there was a look of shock on his face. The area around her looked slightly different, and she could not understand why.

"That looks… interesting." He went to touch her, but his hand went right through her, she didn't feel a thing. He quickly brought his hand back and she stood there just as shocked as he was. Soon she felt the thu'um's power wear off and there was slight relief on his face.

"The shout means fade, I guess that's exactly what it did." She said.

"You were… different." He said to her, the surprise still showing on his face.

"Different how?"

"You looked like a ghost." He said.

"Well, that would explain the look on your face, because it sure seems like you just saw one." She said laughing. He laughed with her and they continued their trip.

The tension had eased from the both of them and they were able to converse more easily. By the time they reached Whiterun, all worries had been erased and their friendship felt just the same as it had when they left, if not stronger. Aurora still thought about their intimate moments and wondered what he thought of them as well, but she wanted to speak with Aela or Lydia before actually talking about it more with Farkas.

When they arrived in Whiterun, the sun was just setting on the horizon. They greeted those who had welcomed them back to the city. When they reached Jorrvaskr, they say Vilkas waiting atop of the stairs in front of the doors.

"We've been waiting your return. Come, follow me." She looked at Farkas and he had a knowing smile. She followed the twins to the courtyard behind the mead hall and saw the members of the circle waiting there for them. Farkas and Vilkas joined them in a half circle after Farkas guided her to stand in front of the rest of them. She still had a slightly confused look on her face and he just continued to smile at her. She turned to Aela on her right who was also dawning a smile next to Skjor. Kodlak was centered between the four and directed his attention to Aurora before speaking.

"Brothers and sisters of the Circle, today we welcome a new soul into our mortal fold." After he spoke those words, realization dawned on her and she stood up straight and smiled. "This woman has endured, has challenged, and has shown her valor. Who will speak for her?" Farkas took a step forward and she slightly blushed at him, pulling her hair behind her ear.

"I stand witness to the courage of the soul before us." He gazed at her, never taking his eyes off of her as he spoke and answered Kodlak's questions.

"Would you raise her shield on your defense?"

"I would stand at her back, that the world might never overtake us."

"And would you raise her sword in her honor?"

"It stands ready to meet the blood of her foes."

"And would you raise a mug in her name?"

"I would lead the song of triumph as our mead hall reveled in her stories." Aurora could feel how hot her cheeks had become at his words. She was sure they were the same words spoken for the rest of the Companions, but he spoke from the heart nonetheless.

"Then the judgment of this Circle is complete. Her heart beats with fury and courage that have united the Companions since the days of the distant green summers. Let it beat with ours, that the mountains may echo and our enemies may tremble at the call."

"It shall be so." The rest of the circle replied in unison. She heard Torvar whoop behind her, and when she turned she saw him and the rest of the Companions standing on the patio. She laughed at him and turned back to the rest of the Circle that was no dispersing, heading back towards the mead hall. Kodlak then approached her.

"Well, girl, you're one of us now. I trust you won't disappoint." Farkas came over to her from her side and swooped her up in a hug, lifting her from the ground. She squealed and laughed as he carried her to the mead hall.

"I think this calls for celebration!" He yelled to the rest of the Companions, and there was a communal cheer in agreement.

"If you think I'm getting drunk again, you have another thing coming!" She yelled at them as they all laughed at her. Farkas set her down before they entered the mead hall. She now truly had somewhere she could call home, and people who she thought of as family. She couldn't remember what it felt like to have family, to know and trust people to be at your side and have your back. Though it was then that she decided, there was definitely no going back to her old life. She wouldn't give up the friendships she had built here for anything in the world.

While the rest of the Companions continued to drink and celebrate, Aurora tugged Aela downstairs and they entered into Aela's private quarters to speak. Aurora was unsure of what to say to the older woman, but she knew complete honesty was always best. They sat down on Aela's bed and she turned to her with a concerning and expecting look.

"So, what did you drag me down here to talk about?" Aela asked.

"A couple of things actually." She took a deep breath and planned what she had wanted to say before speaking. "While Farkas and I were Dustman's Cairn, there was an… incident. I got stuck behind a closed gate and Farkas was attacked by these bandits that were part of the Silver Hand. He had to change into his… werewolf form." Aela took a deep breath at her words but she remained calm as Aurora continued. "He told me that the Circle members are all werewolves. I'm still coming to grips with this, but you don't have to worry about me revealing your secret. I'm just trying to wrap my head around it all and I don't know what to think." Aela looked at her with true sincerity before she spoke.

"Well, it's true, we are all werewolves. We all turned willingly, even if some of us regret that decision. Though if you're worried about Farkas, I wouldn't be. He's always had it under control and none of us would ever hurt you or anyone innocent. I can promise you that."

"Yes, Farkas had mentioned you only… feed on bandits."

"Even then, that's only some of us. Farkas and his brother along with Kodlak haven't changed in months. They hold it off as long as they can, and even when they do, they only hunt animals."

"What of you and Skjor?" Aurora asked with concern.

"Me and Skjor aren't afraid of what we are. We see it as a blessing. We still keep the wolf at bay, but we do not cause harm. We see things differently than the twins and Kodlak, we always have. Skjor was my forebear and in that we have a special bond that I think makes it easier for us to accept who and what we are. Kodlak was the twins forebear and I believe that adds to their anxiety. Kodlak would rather spend his last days looking for a cure because he does not wish to reside on Hircine's hunting grounds upon his death."

"Hircine? The Daedric Prince?" Aela nodded before replying.

"The werewolf curse send us to his hunting grounds when we die. He has a claim on our soul, but Kodlak wishes to go to Sovngarde instead but that is his choice. I think it also affects the twins' choice as well. Not only is he their forebear, but he is like a father to them. He practically raised them after Jergen left for the Great War and didn't return."

"There sure is a lot to this. There's so much information for me to wrap my head around and it just makes me feel more confused. What makes it worse is Farkas has slowly gotten, closer to me. Aela, I have never been with a man in any such way before and I do not know how to respond to it."

"Yeah, I kinda saw that in you. You when you push yourself away from the world, I figure you don't get that kind of contact. You must be like a teenage girl right now." Aurora blushed at her statement, and Aela reached for her hands and held them within her own. "You do not have to do anything you are uncomfortable with. Farkas will understand that, and if he doesn't I'll make him understand." Aurora relaxed slightly at her advice.

"I still do not know how to react. When we retrieved the fragment of Wuuthrad, we were attacked by a group of Draugr. One of them ended up cutting my side badly and he practically went into a rage when he cut them all down. After he healed me with a couple of potions he held me and then…" She paused as the memory came back to her and she swallowed heavily. "He kissed me. He had kissed me once before, but I was drunk and I barely remembered it, but this one, it was different. It was soft and sweet in a way and it made me feel things I'm not sure I have ever felt before." She looked up into Aela's eyes and her smile reached them.

"Were they good things?" Aela asked. Aurora blushed and turned away from her and Aela let out a chuckle. "I'll take that as a yes. Listen, it's easy to get overwhelmed, but don't be afraid of what you're feeling. I know your natural instinct is to shy away from him, but I can tell Farkas likes you. He wouldn't do anything to hurt you and I'm sure he'll be as patient as you need him to be. Just go at the pace you feel comfortable with."

"I'm not so sure about him hurting me though, I know he never would. I'm just so unsure of my feelings towards him that I'm afraid of hurting him if I decide it isn't what I want."

"That's something I can't really help you with. You just have to listen to what your heart tells you. Try not to overthink things too much and just give it some time. Only you can know what you're feeling so only you can make that decision. If you don't feel that way towards him, tell him. Just because he makes you feel new things doesn't mean he's the right man for you. I've known enough women who bed the first man that gives them attention and then they're stuck in a bad situation. You're smart, I think you'll come around." Aurora was biting her lip as she nodded at Aela. The woman had given her sound advice and she took it to heart. She had grown lose to Aela, and even had begun to see her as the big sister she never had. The woman wasn't quite old enough to have a motherly persona, but she was still comforting and strong. She decided to give Aela a hug and she surprised the woman, who was stiff for a moment, but then after a second returned the hug and rubbed Aurora's back in their embrace. Aurora spoke as she broke the hug.

"Thank you. I appreciate you speaking with me. Things may not be clearer, but I know it will take time for them to be." Aela gave her a comforting smile. They returned back to the mead hall and Aurora saw Farkas' eyes light up when he saw her. She took her seat next to him as she always had, still pondering the words Aela had spoken to her.

She cared for Farkas, she knew that with all her heart. She was still unsure of what degree her attraction was to him. He made her feel safe and comforted her if needed. When he had kissed her, her skin became hot and when he broke this kiss she even felt a loss from it. Anytime he touched her intimately, her skin tingled from the trail his hands left. She remembered waking up that morning to see him sleeping next to her and even felt warm inside the sight of it. He had held onto her through the whole night and she took comfort in it. If something were to happen while they were on the road, he would have risked his life without question for her. But were all these reasons as to why she would want to be more intimate with him? She still was unsure, and she knew as Aela had said, that only time would tell. Maybe her emotions would grow deeper for him as time drew on. She just only wished to keep from hurting him and made a point to try her best not to lead him astray.

* * *

A few more weeks past after her induction as an official Companion. She had her priorities with them, but Lydia constantly reminded her of her Priorities as Dragonborn as well. Rumors had reached Whiterun of more dragon attacks occurring all throughout Skyrim. She had even begun to feel a small twinge of guilt when she spoke with the Khajiit caravan hat often stopped outside the city and they had mentioned a run in they, themselves had with one of the dragons. Luckily no one was severely injured, but it was surely a close call.

Aurora decided it was time she head back to High Hrothgar. Master Arngeir had known locations of a few of the word walls throughout Skyrim and she thought the best way to fight dragons was with the power the gods had given her for that specific purpose. She only knew three shouts, four if she included the one that has yet to attach itself to a dragon soul. She would need more to fight the dragons, but learning the words and slaying dragons went hand in hand. A courier had brought to her attention that a number of Jarls were giving out bounties for dragons within a known location. She figured that was her best option in tracking down the beasts.

She brought Lydia with her, knowing two swords were better than one and they left Jorrvaskr in the late morning to set out towards High Hrothgar. As they entered the Plains district she noticed the confrontation between Fralia Gray-Mane and Olfrid and Idolaf Battle-Born. She did not care for the Battle-Born men. She found them arrogant and far too prideful, but she had always let the men be. Idolaf, however, consistently worried her with his strong support of the Imperial army. With Aurora deciding on neutrality within the war, she still could not help but have a small sense of loathing towards the Imperials. They had after all captured her and sent her to be executed for no specific reason except that it was convenient. She may have given the Imperials a fight when they took her, but she knew she hadn't killed any of them. If she wouldn't have fought back they would have still easily taken her away.

As the heard Fralia's raised voice she stopped. She held her hand out to Lydia as she approached the three that had been arguing. The two men had practically ganged up on the old woman and she felt sorry for her. She was obviously grieving and the men wouldn't let her be. When she took her place at Fralia's side the two men looked at her before going their separate ways. She heard Fralia's heavy sigh and she turned to the old woman, concern laced in her expression.

"Is something the matter?" Aurora asked, placing her hand on the older woman's shoulder. She felt a pang of sadness when the woman looked at her, her eyes were grief-stricken and she almost knew what it was about. Eorlund had mentioned their son's disappearance before, but his wife had taken it much harder.

"All I can think about is my song Thorald… they say that he was killed but I know better. I know my son is alive!" She didn't know what to say. "Those Battle-Born… they're in with the Imperials. They know it too, and yet they lie to my very face."

"How are you so sure they are lying?" Aurora asked and Fralia motioned for her to come closer. She lowered her voice to her as she spoke.

"It's not wise to discuss it here." Her eyes shifted to the Battle-Born men who were now at Carlotta's stall, making small talk. "Please…" She begged, "If you truly wish to help, come with me to my home. I'll tell you the whole story." Aurora nodded and motioned for her to lead her to the Gray-Mane residence. She followed her up the stairs into the Wind district, motioning for Lydia to follow. They took a left in the courtyard, and she went around to the back door of her house and ushered Aurora in. As they walked through the main living room, she heard a bedroom door open and saw their son Avulstein standing there was his battleaxe drawn. Aurora tensed up at the sight of the man. He looked very much like his father, she could tell. He had the same build, and hair, but he looked far younger.

"Mother, what's the meaning of this? Who have you brought into our home?" He said looking to his mother.

"Avulstein, put that down! She's a Companion and she wants to help us find Thorald!" She scolded him.

"A Companion eh? So I'll take it you're not a spy for the Battle-Borns?" Aurora shook her head.

"I know your father, he's a kind man. I would do nothing to betray his trust." Aurora assured him. He sheathed his weapon and eyed her for a moment.

"You're small for a Companion." He simply stated.

"Yes, I get that often. I also get that I'm small for the Dragonborn to but I assure you my size has nothing to do with my fighting capabilities." He nodded at her, still with suspicion on his face.

"So, you're here to help then?" She nodded.

"Absolutely, what I can do to help?" She replied.

"We all know Thorald's not dead. I just know it! The Imperials have him, and are keeping him somewhere, I just don't know where." He shook his head as he placed his hands on his hips, looking towards the ground. "Those damn Battle-Borns… they know something. They're hiding it, they practically taunt us with it."

"I am aware, I caught them just moments ago harassing your mother."

"They must have some sort of proof! There's got to be something in their house, but I don't dare leave the house myself."

"So you want me to retrieve physical evidence of his capture?" She asked.

"Anything that confirms that Thorald isn't dead, but he's being held captive." She nodded in acknowledgement. "They'd be hiding it of course. They wouldn't want it to get out that they've been lying this whole time. You might be able to butter them up enough to lower their guard."

"You just leave it to me how I retrieve the information, I'll get what you need." He nodded and before she left the house he called out to her.

"Best if you didn't mention to anyone you saw me here"

"Of course, I can be very discreet." She said before exiting the house. She walked to her right past the small courtyard separating the homes. Lydia followed behind her as they walked to the back door of the Battle-Born residence. She dug threw her pack and pulled out a lock pick and she looked to Lydia. "Stand watch while I'm in here, if anyone comes distract them." Lydia nodded and she went to work on the lock.

She had learned to pick locks rather well while she lived alone. She often came across locked chests and shacks in her journeys and started keeping lock picks with her just for that reason. Now the time spent learning how to do it was paying off. She made quick work of the outdoor lock and she snuck into the house as quietly as she could be. Like many of the houses in Whiterun, there as a large fire pit in the middle of the main room. There were two doors on opposite sides of the wall and a large dining table in front of the back door she entered through. She walked over to a few of the tables that contained drawers, sifting through the letters and journals, skimming the words for Thorald's name. She found nothing in the main room so she moved to one of the adjacent rooms.

She opened the door to the right and there was a large full sized bed with a green quilt atop it. She looked through the drawers and found nothing. She noticed the second door on the far left hand corner of the room and she went to go open it. It was locked, so she once again pulled out her lock pick set and went to work on the door. This one had been a bit more difficult than the outdoor lock, and she broke one of her picks before she got it right. When she opened the doors, she saw it was a small office. She knew this was where it had to be if there was any evidence. She walked over to the desk in the back of the small room and there was a small journal sitting atop it. She opened the journal and saw it was an Imperial Missive from General Tulius himself. She skimmed the words quickly and her stomach dropped. She closed the book and stuffed it in her pack, quickly making an exit and closing the office door behind her.

When she walked towards the back door, she heard voices outside. She pressed her ear to the door and heard Lydia speaking with Idalof Battle-Born. Her eyes started floating around the room, looking for a place to hide but she had no time. The door swung open and she quickly hid behind it as Idalof walked in with Lydia trailing behind him. When the door closed Lydia turned and saw Aurora crouching against the wall, eyes wide with panic. Before Idalof turned around Lydia quickly spoke.

"Uh, Idalof, why don't we go to the bedroom? She laced her fingers with his and Aurora saw the slight smirk on the mans face. Lydia led him to the bedroom Aurora just came from and practically shoved him in the room before turning to see Aurora quietly opening the back door and exiting. She let out a breath of relief and then turned her attention back to Idalof.

While Lydia was distracting Idalof, Aurora quickly made her way back towards the Gray-Mane residence. Avulstein as pacing back and forth and he stopped when she entered.

"Did you find something?" He asked urgently.

"Yes, I did. Though I'm not so sure you'll be happy about it."

"I knew it! I knew they were lying. What did you find?" She pulled out the Imperial Missive and handed it to him. His eyes shot back to hers in shock and she nodded her head slightly.

"I don't even want to know why the Thalmor have him, but they are far worse than the Imperials." She said gravely.

"So… Northwatch Keep. That's all the way past Solitude. At least we know where to hit them." Aurora startled at his words.

"You're not thinking about assaulting Northwatch Keep?"

"I'll do anything if it means saving my brother. You'll join us, won't you?" She hesitated for a moment. "Thorald can't be left to those… monsters." Aurora sighed and she knew something had to be done.

"Listen, let me see if I can bring him back on my own. Possibly without bloodshed, I'm not sure a few of you and some friends can take on a whole guard tower of Thalmor."

"And you can alone? There's no reasoning with the Thalmor, that's madness!" He exclaimed.

"It's just as mad to just march up to the place and start slitting throats. If need be, I can take a few of the Companions with me if they're willing. We owe a lot to your father. Just please, do not do anything rash."

"You're serious aren't you?" He asked and she nodded. "Very well, I'll give you a chance. But if you can't do it, I will."

"If I can't do it, I'll be dead." She said to him before turning and leaving their home.

* * *

Aurora waited by the Gildergreen for a few minutes until she saw Lydia stalking towards her.

"You owe me." She said flatly as she passed Aurora and headed straight down to the Plains district. Aurora stood and quickly followed, running to catch up to her.

"What did you do?" Aurora asked, slight amusement in her voice.

"I don't want to talk about it." Lydia snapped. Aurora had to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, I'm sure he wasn't that bad." Aurora teased.

"Not talking about it." Aurora couldn't hold in her laugh any more and Lydia glared back at her.

"Did you at least find what you were looking for?"

"Yes, and it seems this whole situation is more complicated than it appeared." Lydia looked at her, motioning for her to continue. "He's locked up at Northwatch Keep, Thalmor territory. It would seem their foothold in Skyrim is a lot stronger than I thought." She said, worry in her voice.

"What are we going to do?" Aurora sighed and pulled her hair behind her ear.

"Well, we're going to see the Greybeards first. Then I think it's time we give Delphine another visit. She knows a lot about the Thalmor and even if she is crazy and paranoid, I think she can help."

"She won't help you unless you do what she asks, my thane. You know I will follow you wherever you wish, but I do not advise this." Lydia replied.

"I do not wish to speak to that woman either, but I fear I have no choice. The Thalmor need to be dealt with if they're taking random prisoners. And believe me when I say I have quite a grasp on what they are capable of. We need to at least rescue Thorald, Eorlund and Fralia would be devastated to find their son was being tortured by the Altmer."

"What of the Companions? They have practically taken an oath to stay neutral."

"I am aware. Though this has nothing to do with the Civil War, consider this as just a simple rescue mission. If Delphine wants me to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy, then fine, but this is against the elves, which breaks no neutrality oath. Many of the Companions fought in Cyrodiil during the Great War, this is no different."

"The difference is, we are not currently at war with the Aldmeri Dominion." Lydia rebutted.

"No, but something tells me that will not be so for long. No matter what side wins the Civil War the empire is weakened, as well as Skyrim herself. The Thalmor will take any opportunities they are presented with and this war has definitely been something they are taking full advantage of. I may have been in the dark on many of the current events taking place, but I know enough about our history to know it repeats itself." Lydia nodded in understanding. She knew Aurora was right, she was smart to have figured much of this out in the short time she has known about the war, It made Lydia curious about Aurora's past and her knowledge on the Thalmor. She can tell there's something there that's pushing her to this decision, but she decided it was best to let it be. Even if Aurora held a grudge towards the elves, every word she spoke was the truth. Though, Lydia couldn't help but worry about what the future holds, especially if the Dragonborn gets involved. Aurora tried to stay neutral but Lydia was beginning to see that may no longer be an option.

* * *

**A/N: I'm gonna state now, that I will definitely not be choosing sides in the war. In game I always choose Stormcloak, not once have I fought for the Imperials. Though they don't give you much choice in the game and I'm going to change that here. The thought that the Thalmor wins either way bugs me to no end and I'll be sure to do something about it. That will be a big theme in this story as the politics in the game always got to me seeing that in real life I feel very strong about my politics.**

**Anyways don't forget to Review/Fave. Thanks again for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

The Greybeards were able to point out the location of a word wall to the west. Aurora was not entirely keen on traveling so far to find a word of power, but it was either that, or simply go exploring in every crypt she came across, something she had no intention of doing. Aurora and Lydia took the south road from Ivarstead to head towards Riverwood. Aurora was still hesitant to give Delphine a visit, but with her new knowledge on the Thalmor, she felt she had no other options.

Aurora was well aware of the dislike towards the Thalmor presence in Skyrim, even her mother had loathed the Altmer. Aurora only once encountered them, twice if you could count Helgen. She would admit they gave off a rather intimidating persona, but as long as they were avoided she saw no issues with them. With the Civil War currently taking place, it would seem the Thalmor have become a bit more hostile in their endeavors. She had no idea they had taken to imprisoning Talos worshipers and Stormcloak soldiers. She could only imagine what they were doing to their prisoners and she needed to put a stop to it.

They found Delphine in her secret room, working on her alchemy station. The older Breton seemed so lost in thought she almost hadn't seen them come in. She stood up straight and just looked at them for a moment before speaking. "Did you change your mind?" She asked.

"No, I still do not wish to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy. However, some… recent and unsettling news has reached me and I fear that I no longer have a choice in the matter."

"What news?"

"Does it matter? I'm here to figure out a way on how we are supposed to do this." Aurora replied curtly.

"Actually, I've already figured out how we're going to get you into the Thalmor Embassy." Delphine replied.

"You mean, how _WE_ are going to get into the Thalmor Embassy?" Aurora's nerves were already hiking.

"No, I'm not coming. That would be a bad idea." Aurora scoffed and shook her head. Delphine continued before Aurora could say anything. "I'd be too likely to attract the wrong kind of attention. But they don't know you at all yet."

"Yes, that would be the key word… yet. You just want to send in your only Dragonborn to a highly secured Thalmor Embassy to steal information for you. That sound like a wonderful plan." Aurora stated sarcastically.

"Just listen, the Thalmor Ambassador, Elenwen, regularly throws parties in which the rich and connected cozy up the Thalmor. I can get you into one of those parties. Once you're inside the Embassy, you get away and find Elenwen's secret files."

"What type of files are we looking for? I know specifically what I need but do you?" She asked.

"No, but if you find her office you're more than likely to retrieve the information we need."

"So you want me to dig around in her books to find what? Information on dragons, the blades? That could be a rather long list of things to bring back."

"I'll let you decide what you think is necessary. We just need enough proof to know what they're up to and if they have anything to do with the dragons returning." Aurora huffed out a breath, already agitated by the woman before her.

"Fine. So what's the plan."

"I have a contact inside the Embassy. He's not up for this kind of high-risk mission, but he can help you."

"What kind of contact?"

"His name is Malborn. Wood Elf, plenty of reason to hate the Thalmor. You can trust him."

"Because I'm just going to take your word for it?"

"Don't worry about Malborn. He's not a dangerous character like you…"

"Like me? Oh, Delphine I'm not even sure you are aware of how dangerous I can be at this level of agitation. This plan of yours better work, or there will be hell to pay." Aurora said with an angered tone.

"I promise you can trust him. He hates the Thalmor almost as much as I do. I'll get word for him to meet you in Solitude, at the Winking Skeever – you know it?" Aurora turned to look at Lydia and she nodded. Aurora had never been around Skyrim all too much, but luckily Lydia had been around enough to make for a decent escort. "While you're doing that, I'll work on getting you an invitation to Elenwen's little party. Just meet me at the Solitude stables after you've arranged things with Malborn."

"Once I'm inside the Embassy, then what?"

"That's when the fun starts. You'll have to slip away from the party without raising the alarm. Malborn should be able to point you in the right direction towards Elenwen's office." Aurora nodded and took in a deep breath.

"Send a courier when you have the invitation. I have other things to attend to first, but I'll make my way towards the city soon." Delphine nodded and Aurora and Lydia took their leave. Once they were outside the inn and making their way towards Whiterun, Aurora turned to her housecarl and asked, "What do you think?"

"I still think this is a bad idea." Lydia replied without hesitation.

"I suppose so, but I don't have many other options. I'm almost sure the embassy will have a layout of Northwatch keep, it'll help me rescue Thorald. Fralia must be losing her mind over him." Lydia nodded. "Hopefully I can just get in there, grab what I need and leave. I can't imagine what would keep me long, but make sure you stay alert and keep an eye on the place while I'm in there. If something goes wrong, I need you to be the one to get word to the Companions. They'll be the only people that would be able to help but in the meantime we do not say anything to them. I know they are supposed to remain neutral in these conflicts, but I do not know how far that neutrality is supposed to stretch.

"We'll also make our way to Dragontooth Crater after we leave, I do believe it's only a short distance to the southwest of Solitude. We should be able to make it there and then back to Whiterun in no time."

* * *

When Aurora entered Jorrvaskr, the sun was just setting behind her. When the doors closed behind her, she saw many of the Companions, including Kodlak, were in the mead hall for dinner. They all greeted her warmly and Farkas quickly got up to hug her as was his usual greeting for her. She laughed when he squeezed her tight and finally released her after a few moments. It had been a little over a week that she was gone, but it felt nice to come home.

"We all missed you, I wasn't sure when you would return." Aurora smiled up at Farkas, who had a large grin plastered across his face, looking down at her.

"Well, I am glad to be home. It has been a long week." She said and he grabbed her hand, tugging her along towards the table and pulling a seat out next to him. Vilkas was seated on the other side of his brother and barely acknowledged her.

"So tell us, do anything fun while you were out?" Farkas asked.

"Oh, no. Not unless you consider climbing the seven thousand steps to High Hrothgar fun." She laughed before she took a sip of the tankard of mead he handed her.

"Is that all you did, just go visit the Greybeards?"

"Well, I initially planned on just visiting them for awhile to help with my training. They gave me the location of a word wall located in the west that I'll be leaving for soon. I stopped in Riverwood to visit with someone as well before heading back here." She purposefully omitted what the visit entailed and how she would be stopping in Solitude before making her way towards the word wall.

"Maybe I can go with you. It's a hefty distance to go by yourself." He said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. The contact made her stiffen, and she suddenly felt awkward when she looked to her right and saw Vilkas eyeing the two of them, but his attention quickly went back to his meal.

"Um, actually Lydia was joining me. I think the two of us will be fine, the most we have to worry about is a few bandit camps on the way there, but I'm thinking of just taking a carriage instead. It's quite a long way to walk." Farkas nodded, and she saw the disappointment in his eyes. "Maybe the next one?" She quickly added, feeling guilty about turning him down. The gloom in his eyes was replaced with a small light.

"Aye, definitely." He removed his arm but not before slightly rubbing her back as he did and her breath hitched. She cleared her throat before downing the rest of what was in her tankard and when she looked back up at him his eyes were wide.

"I was thirsty." She lied. He nodded and went back to his meal as they listened in on a story Aela and Skjor were telling from their last job.

Aurora retired to bed early, exhausted from her week of traveling. She lay down in her bed and put her right arm over her eyes as she tried to let sleep take her. Her ears perked a bit when she heard the sound of someone approach the room and she turned her head towards the door to see who it was. She caught those silver eyes staring at her and she suddenly felt cold. She remained silent a moment before sitting up against the wall and covering herself with the furs on her bed. She looked at him and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs. "Do you get your kicks from ambushing me before I go to bed?" She asked him and she thought she saw a small smile form on his lips but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. He remained silent for a moment, still not taking his eyes away from her and she began to feel uneasy.

"There was something you weren't telling my brother when you two spoke earlier." She narrowed her eyes at him and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"What makes you believe that?" She asked, her voice came out shakier than the intended.

"I can just tell." Was the only response he gave her. She pulled her legs closer and looked away from him, but she could still feel his stare. He remained in his spot, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed as they always were. He waited for her answer and she tried to think of something to tell him.

"I, um, I have to meet someone in Solitude first." She quickly said, the words coming out in one breath. He regarded her for a moment before speaking.

"That's still not all of it. If you're going to lie, I would suggest learning how to do it well first." He said and she swallowed heavily at his words. "Now tell me, what are you hiding." She breathed deeply and considered telling him but she was afraid to. The man before her sent all sorts of shivers through her body and his intimidating presence shook her to her bones.

"I can't tell you." She said.

"And why not? Can you not confide in your Shield-Brother?" Vilkas stated easily. She began to feel a twinge of guilt. Maybe she should tell him, but she was afraid of what Vilkas would do or say, possibly speaking to Kodlak about it.

"It's all part of this… Dragonborn business. There are things I feel are better left unsaid. I would not want to harm those I care about." She stated in honesty.

"What are you doing that would cause harm?" He asked.

"I'm not really sure it's best, I tell."

"I'll decide that." She huffed out a breath, finally agitated by his words.

"No, I decided that. You do not have any authority over me." She glowered at him, upset he was forcing her to speak about these things.

"I may not, but I care about my brother. He likes you, and I want to make sure you aren't going to do anything that will hurt him." He said, his expression and tone of voice unwavering.

"I will not hurt your brother, I care for him as well. Excuse me for being unsure of my feelings towards him, I did not wish him any harm." At that Vilkas slightly tilted his head, his expression turning to one of curiosity. She knew she had said too much. She had only spoken to Aela and Lydia about her feelings or lack of feelings towards Farkas. She cared about him, surely, but she was unsure if she felt the same for him as he did her.

"What do you mean by that?" Her mouth slightly fell open and her breathing grew heavy. He was making her feel entirely uncomfortable. She had a difficult enough time speaking of her feelings in the first place, but to this man? He made her feel nervous just being around him.

"My feelings are my own, I do not wish to trouble with them." She said in a low voice.

"You are not troubling me." He replied quickly. She closed her eyes, not able to look at him.

"Why do you want to know? You are the most confusing man I have ever met. One minute you are scolding me, scowling at me all the time. Then the next you're down here alone, speaking of my feelings. I do not understand." She wanted to be away from his presence. He was too much for her and she could not bear it much longer. She threw the furs from her body and quickly stood, then heading for the door but he blocked her way. She almost let out a small sob from being unable to escape and so she stood there, refusing to look at him. "May I go please?" She whispered, but he did not move from his spot.

"Not until you tell me what is going on." He said to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking.

"I have to go to Solitude because I need to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy. There I said it, may I go now?" She pleaded.

"Why would you do such a thing?" She tilted her head back all the way to stare at the ceiling.

"Because, Eorlund Gray-Mane's son Thorald is still alive and I promised I would save him." She said. Vilkas seemed taken aback by her words and when she finally looked at him again, she saw the concern in his eyes. She was utterly confused over his expression.

"You'll get yourself killed. The Thalmor are not to be trifled with."

"I know that, but there is no other way. Gods know what they're doing to him. If I can do something about it, I should. Isn't that the Companions are about? Or do they have to pay us for it?" His scowl returned and her feet shifted beneath her uncomfortably.

"You should have said something, I cannot let you go alone, it is madness." He said.

"Why not? You seemed to be ready to be rid of me. I see the way you look at me, the glaring the indifference. Your brother continues to stand up for you, but I cannot help but wonder why." He seemed hurt from her words, and she immediately wished she could take them back. She shook her head and started to apologize, backing away from him. He shot his hand out and grabbed her arm, bring her closer to him. He looked her in the eye as he spoke.

"You have been leading my brother on for months now. I am not sure he can take much more of your teasing. Now you wish to go off on a suicide mission without telling him and I can only bare to think of what would happen if you did not succeed." He spoke to her, his voice grave.

"I do not wish to hurt him, but I am sorry that I am unsure of how to return his feelings. I know how he feels about me, but I do not know how to react. I am not used to any of this, I lived on my own for years how can you expect me to just so easily learn to be so affectionate and cooperative towards others?" Her words seemed to calm him slightly, but his grip on her arm did not waver. "I am sorry." She said, knowing nothing else to say. "Please, do not tell him what I have said, if you wish he remain unhurt let me talk to him myself." Vilkas stared at her, his eyes shifting between hers. He loosened his grip on her arm and spoke.

"Aye, but if you do not speak with him soon, I will." She nodded and quickly and he finally let go of her arm. She rubbed where his hand had gripped her. He still remained in his spot, blocking the door.

"Thank you." She looked up at him and his expression had softened, but still had a hardness to it. He stood there looking down at her for another moment before turning to leave, heading towards his bedroom at the other end of the hall. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, and slowly walked back to her bed. She sat there for a long time, how long she didn't know, but when she was pulled from her trance she noticed Athis was lying in his bed asleep. She finally lay back down and let sleep take her, once again dreaming of intense silver eyes.

* * *

Vilkas stalked to his bedroom, nearly slamming the door as he entered. He wasn't sure what he had expected from his conversation with Aurora, but it most certainly wasn't that. He knew she was lying before. He heard her heart race when she lied straight to Farkas' face. He wanted to confront her about it, he wanted to know the truth. His brother deserved the truth. He knew Farkas was infatuated with her, but she seemed to just be dragging him along for the ride. He could see the hurt in his brothers face when she wouldn't allow him to travel with her.

Vilkas wanted to be angry with her, to make her feel bad for hurting his brother. When he saw her lying in bed, it took every ounce of strength to not harshly wake her and demand the truth. But he couldn't, there was something about her lying there peaceful that made him hesitant to even bring anything up. His anger returned when she continued to lie to him, she even tried to get away but he wouldn't let her. After she finally broke the look she gave him, it nearly tore him in two. He saw the guilt in those beautiful citrine eyes, and he immediately regretted causing her pain. He wanted to embrace her and tell her it was okay, that she was forgiven but he didn't.

The more he was around her, the more she began to have an effect on him. Before she had left recently, he felt an overwhelming sense of jealousy when he could smell her on his brother. When they came back from her trial, Farkas was covered in her scent and he desperately wanted to know what she had done with his brother. He even asked him later that night, but Farkas assured nothing serious had happened. He admitted to kissing her, but Farkas had confided in him that he was afraid she did not feel the same, like something was holding her back.

Vilkas tried to keep his distance from the two, but then any time he would see her, he felt that tightness in his heart and the longing for her he could not escape. He started dreaming about her, those yellow eyes and her caramel colored hair haunting his every thought. He wanted to run his fingers through her hair, hold her close and love her like only he could. But of course she would cling to his brother, they always did. Farkas was the strong one, they may look the same, but there was something about Vilkas that women did not seem to understand. Maybe he was too intimidating? He wasn't sure he would ever know. Aurora was no different. She would barely look at him, he could smell her anxiety rolling off her when he was close to her, just as it had tonight. He wished he knew how to comfort her, to calm her in his presence, but he knew it would only make matters worse.

He continued to think about her through the night, until finally he decided to spend the night in the training yard, working off his frustration. Hopefully she would return from her insane mission, she was about to set out on and things with her and Farkas would work out. He almost could not stand the thought of her with his brother, they just did not seem right for each other. Maybe she felt so too, maybe he would have a chance, but he did not wish that kind of hurt on his brother. He would have to remain patient. He would have to wait and see where things would lead, and even then he may have to wait even longer. But even with all the waiting he was willing to do, there was still a chance she would not learn to like him. She was almost scared of him, he could tell, but maybe with enough work, he could change things between them. Hopefully it wasn't too late.

* * *

Aurora packed up for yet another journey across Skyrim. She gave Lydia enough septims to pay the carriage driver at Whiterun stables to take them to Solitude. She would wait for her there and in the mean time Aurora would speak to Farkas before she left. She had to tell him the truth. She had been planning her words, all morning and just hoped he would understand.

Aurora cared for Farkas, and when he had kissed her before she felt something, but she was not sure it is what she wanted to feel for him. The kiss stirred things inside her, but her feelings for him remained the same. She did not want to lead him on to believe she wanted more and she would have to tell him. She considered Farkas a close friend and hoped this would not ruin what they had. She feared the worst, however, and hoped that the time spent on her journey would give them both time to think.

She walked up to the mead hall to see him sitting at one of the tables, speaking with his brother. She shivered when she remembered the conversation she had with Vilkas the previous night and only hoped he had not spoken to his brother yet. She walked over to them and Farkas smiled as she approached. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her in a hug and she hesitantly responded the same. When she pulled away, Vilkas was staring at her, as if reminding her of her words the night before. She gave a small nod in understanding and she turned her attention back to Farkas.

"I'm leaving for the stables, would you like to walk down with me?" She asked him and he happily agreed. When they reached the courtyard circling the Gildregreen in the Wind district she started the conversation she was highly reluctant to have. "I wanted to speak to you about what happened during my trial." He turned to her, his face had grown a bit more serious before he responded.

"About the wolf thing or the other stuff?" He asked.

"The other thing. I, uh… I don't want you to think that I don't like you or care about you. But you're my friend, and that's all you've ever been to me. I'm really unsure how to put this into words, but I just want to stay that way. I'm afraid of ruining our relationship with constantly being so skittish about being physical in a way with you and as much as I enjoyed it…" She paused but before continuing he spoke.

"You enjoyed it?" He asked, she could see a slight smirk forming on his face. She couldn't help but blush and give him a small smile.

"Yes, but I still just want to be friends. I don't know how to react to that, it's all so new to me." Farkas nodded. They continued to the stables and she saw Lydia already waiting in the cart for her. She stopped and turned to Farkas before leaving. "Thank you for walking me down here and being so understanding. I hope I haven't hurt you."

"No, you haven't hurt me. But if you want me to be honest with you, I think you're just afraid." She was taken aback by his words and looked at him questioningly.

"Afraid? Of what?" She asked.

"Of what I make you feel." She could see the lust in his eyes and she swallowed just staring up at him. "Let me do something to try and change your mind one more time." Her expression changed to one of curiosity.

"Like wha…" She was cut off from his lips pressing against hers. His hand wrapped around her waist to the small of her back while his other cupped her cheek. She was startled at first, but slowly relaxed as he held her there. A million thoughts swarmed through her head, she was confused and she didn't know how to respond. This wasn't what she wanted. Her mind and her heart were saying no while her body screamed yes. He pulled away from her and he saw the blush rising on her cheeks. He smiled down at her and she looked up at him with shock in her eyes. "Just think about that while you're gone. If you're still unsure, we'll talk about it more when you get back, okay?" She just slowly nodded her head, then walked over to Lydia, who had watched the whole thing, her jaw had dropped from their close interaction and Aurora glared at her when a smile appeared on her face. Aurora hopped up into the cart, and when she sat Lydia just gaped at her. Aurora rolled her eyes as the cart started moving and Lydia spoke.

"So, I take it your talk didn't go as planned." She was trying to stifle a laugh and Aurora could tell.

"Not exactly, no. I told him how I felt and he just said he thought I am afraid of my feelings towards him then he kissed me." Aurora stated.

"I saw that. It looked rather…" She paused when Aurora's eyes shot up at her, staring daggers. "Intriguing." Lydia finished.

"I don't know what I am going to do. My body reacts to him when he does things like that, but my heart just doesn't feel the same." Lydia nodded in understanding before she spoke.

"Well, we'll be gone for a while so maybe it'll be enough time for your heart to get on the same page as the rest of you."

"Or the other way around. Farkas is nice, but… I'm not sure, but I feel like something is holding me back."

"Maybe you are afraid like he said? You exiled yourself from society for years, you were never with a man before, let alone just conversing with people as much as you have. I can see your timidness, sometimes you need to let go. If it doesn't feel right then, then you'll know you gave it your best shot. If the gods did not intend it, then it will not be."

"You're right. Maybe I will try being more… open when we return. Who knows what will change in a couple of weeks." Aurora stated, sounding hopeful. She just prayed she returned at all, she was terrified of this mission and knew there was a high risk going into it. If she could just get of this alive, then maybe things will work out for the better.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter wasn't that long but the next one is going to be all the Thalmor stuff so it was the only way I could separate it. Anyways you know what to do, Review/Fave. thanks for reading!  
**


	10. Chapter 10

"Ah! A fellow latecomer to Elenwen's little soiree. And arriving by carriage, no less! I salute you, my good lady!" The Redguard man spoke to Aurora the moment she stepped down from the carriage Delphine had arranged to take her to the embassy. Aurora hadn't known she was late for the party and hoped it would not hurt her chances of succeeding in infiltrating Elenwen's office. The Redguard followed her up the stairs and Aurora headed for the front door before she was stopped by a fully armored Altmer standing guard. Aurora's anxiety had already peaked. She had never been to a social event before, let alone one filled with people who would want to kill her if they knew her true identity.

"Welcome to the Thalmor Embassy. Your invitation, please." The Thalmor guard held out their hand waiting for Aurora's invitation. The Redguard gave his first and then was invited in. Aurora pulled hers from her pocket and handed it to the guard, her hands slightly shaking. She took a deep breath through her nose to regain her composure when the guard looked at the invitation a moment before inviting her in as well. Aurora let out her breath and walked to the front door.

Aurora took in the small hallway to the great room, noticing that though the structure itself seemed very similar to the buildings in Solitude, it still held an elven touch. It was nicely decorated and the room was warm compared to the harsh winds and snow outside. When she looked forward, she saw an Altmer woman dressed in the typical Thalmor robes. They were dark and had an extravagance to them, paired with matching gloves in boots. This woman's robes, however, did not include the hood that she often saw on most of the Thalmor Justiciars. The woman had a fake smile, and her face had plenty of makeup to make her seem presentable. Her blonde hair was combed back showing her ears and Aurora couldn't help but think she was the definition of an Altmer.

"Welcome I don't believe we've met. I am Elenwen, the Thalmor Ambassador to Skyrim." Aurora froze, though she was at the woman's party, she did not imagine meeting her in person. Aurora smiled back at her, trying to grab onto her nerves. The Mer spoke with such a voice that made Aurora feel a bit smaller than what she already was. Elenwen obviously thought herself much higher than the people of Skyrim, but Aurora already knew that. "And you are…?" Elenwen asked and Aurora racked her brain, trying to decide if she should reveal her true name. Instead, she bypassed the question and went for flattery.

"You're Elenwen? I've heard quite a bit about you." Aurora said, smiling as wide as she could. Elenwen's slight curiosity showed in her eyes and tone when she spoke.

"Have you? All good, I trust." Though the woman spoke with a kind voice, Aurora could hear the threat behind it. "I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage for I know nothing about you. Please tell me more about yourself. What brings you to this… to Skyrim?" She quickly corrected herself at the end. Aurora hesitantly opened her mouth to answer, but she was interrupted by a familiar voice next to Elenwen, coming from the behind the bar built into the room. Elenwen rolled her eyes and turned her attention to Malborn. Aurora nervously watched the conversation before Elenwen turned back to her. "My apologies. We'll have to get better acquainted later. Please, enjoy yourself."

Aurora walked over to the bar where Malborn was serving drinks, he turned his attention to her. "What can I get for you?" He asked, putting up a perfectly decent act.

"I just need a drink, anything to take the edge off." Malborn nodded and reached for a bottle of brandy, serving it to her in a goblet.

"Here you go, ma'am. The finest Colovian brandy." Aurora nodded and smiled, still nervous about their interactions. He quickly added with a lowered voice, "I'll be waiting by the door for everyone to be distracted." She nodded again and turned towards the rest of the party.

She felt horribly out of place, the rest of the guests were obviously all nobles. Many she thought might even be Jarls. She walked over to the fireplace on the left side of the room and warmed herself by the fire. She took a sip of the drink Malborn had served her and her face puckered from the strength of it. She wished for something like a bottle of mead instead, but she figured she would have to settle for this. While she was lost in thought, she had not noticed the man approach her side. He was tall, but still rather short for a Nord. He had light brown hair the was neatly trimmed, he was lavished with fine jewelry and clothes, and a short bear cloak adorned his shoulders. She put on a fake smile for him as he began speaking with her.

"For a man who knows how to make money, war can be a more profitable venture." Aurora's eyebrows rose at his statement, and she suddenly became curious on his stance on the war.

"You sound like quite the businessman." She simply stated before sipping on her drink.

"Not every Nord is obsessed with strength, honor and skill at arms." With his words, her mind immediately went to Farkas and the Companions. She found those attributes admirable. She even wished for those traits to be shown within herself. "A rare few are born with a gift for making money. My investments are my strengths and my wealth is my weapon. As for honor, well, some luxuries even I can't afford." She was troubled by his words, and before she knew what she was saying she spoke up against them.

"So you make a rather profitable living off the pain and death of others? I would agree that honor is something you definitely cannot buy, especially when the coin is stained in blood." She looked him straight in the eye as she spoke and he seemed slightly intimidated by her words.

"You must be new to Skyrim, or you'd have known better than to speak such words. Especially here. Though I may make a profit from this war, I feel it's time to put aside our grievances of the past, and let peace and prosperity flourish between the Empire and Aldmeri Dominion."

"Peace and prosperity for who exactly?" Aurora asked. The man smirked at her statement, but before he could respond, his name was called by a fair woman across the room. He bowed and took his leave, taking his place at the young woman's side. Aurora took a seat on the bench to her left. She set her goblet down next to her, unable to stand the taste of it any longer. She nervously looked around the room, trying to figure out how she was supposed to make her exit. Soon the Redguard man she entered with took a seat next to her.

"What does a fellow need to do to get a drink around here?" He asked, not sure if the question was directed at her she picked up her goblet and handed it to him. He smiled as he took it and thanked her.

"So, what brings you to the party?" She asked in an attempt to make small talk.

"You must be new around here. Bad manners to ask such a direct question, at one of Elenwen's little soirees." He replied, the smile not leaving his face.

"Everyone seems to gather that about me. I do not often attend events as this one." She stated.

"Eh, I have nothing to hide. I'm in from the south, on business." He replied as he took a drink from the goblet she gave him.

"Ah, yes also something I gathered. A lot of people here do business with the Aldmeri it would appear." She said.

"If you want to do business in Tamriel these days, well, you'd better get to used to cozying up the Thalmor. Like it or not."

"I prefer or not." Aurora said with a lowered voice. He laughed at her statement and she smiled, thanking the gods that he seemed to agree with her. "Enjoying your drink?" She asked.

"Oh yes! You seem to be the one generous soul here amongst the gather of pinch-pennies and lick splittles!" He said.

"I don't even know what those are." She said laughing.

"Well, if there's anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to call upon me." Aurora perked up at his last statement, an idea popping into her head.

"Actually… now that you said something, there is something you can do for me." He nodded for her to continue, taking another gulp of his drink. "I need a distraction, can you get everyone's attention for a few minutes?" She asked.

"Of course! My friend, you've come to the right person. You could say that causing a scene is somewhat of a specialty of mine." She smiled at him. "I will repay your kindness immediately, stand back and watch my handiwork." She laughed as he went towards the middle of the room and started grabbing the attention of the party goers. When everyone was turned towards him, Aurora quickly made her way over to Malborn, who immediately opened the door for her behind the bar. He guided her through the kitchen, bring the Khajiit woman cooking. He took her into a small room with another door leading out of it.

"Your gear is in that chest. I'll lock the door behind you, don't screw this up." He said to her. She walked over to the chest, opening it to see her bow and quiver as well as the few daggers she carried with her. She also brought her leather bracers, to help with the snack back of her bow string. She figured all she would need is her weapons, if she could sneak around the embassy undetected, there would be no need for armor. She quietly left the room, Mlaborn wishing her good luck before he closed and locked the door behind her.

She snuck quietly over to the first door in the room, she overheard a few guards speaking. She slowed and peeked around the door to see two fully armored Altmer talking. She waited as she eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Did you see those robes march in this morning?" Who are they with? More of the Emiissary's treat enforcers?"

"No. They're high mages, just in from Alinor." _They're bringing in more Aldmeri forces_? Aurora thought to herself. She could only take that as a bad sign. "I guess Herself is finally getting worried about all the dragon attacks."

"Ah, good. I've been wondering how we were supposed to defend this place against a dragon." This didn't add to Delphine's thoughts on the Thalmor being responsible for the dragon attacks, however, she was sure a few soldiers wouldn't know about the larger scale of things. Aurora waited for them to finish their conversation. When they headed back to their rounds, she peeked around the door again to see the room now empty. She crouched down and moved silently around the bar they had been standing at and up the stairs positioned behind them. At the top of the stairs Aurora took a left to see a Thalmor's back to her. She withdrew a dagger and before he ever heard her coming she slit hit throat, dropping his body to the ground afterwards. She moved over to the exit leading to a courtyard.

She crouched against the wall lining the inside of the courtyard. She slowly stood, just enough to see over the wall. She saw about four Thalmor guards and a mage patrolling the area. She unsheathed her bow and readied an arrow, aiming for the nearest guard. She hit his shoulder and it sent him flying over the edge of the wall. She then shot her next arrow across the courtyard as a soldier was coming down the stairs. This arrow hit straight through his neck and he fell down the stairs, attracting the three others in the yard. She cursed under her breath as they all went over to inspect the dead body. She quickly nocked another arrow and sent it flying into the nearest guard. That's when the mage saw her. He grabbed the attention of the remaining guard and they ran towards her. She nocked another arrow, and sent it flying into the soldier, but it hit his chest plate and her arrow didn't penetrate its surface. She cursed as she drew another arrow, but the mage shot out a bolt of electricity at her. She fell to the ground, shaking from the shock. They reached her while she was immobile on the ground. When they tried to pick her up, she quickly grabbed one of her daggers from her belt and stabbed the mages foot. He yelled out in pain and she kicked him back, his leg twisting and breaking with his foot still nailed to the ground from her blade. The soldier withdrew his sword quickly and she grabbed her bow, hitting his shin with the blunt end. He fell to one knee and as she got up, she took the other end of her bow and knocked him out with one hit. She turned to the mage who still had the dagger in his foot, she removed the dagger then straddled the mer as she held it to his throat.

"Where is Elenwen's office?" She demanded of him. He let out a whimper as he pointed to the door leading back into the embassy from the inner courtyard. "Thank you, " she said as she punched him, using the hilt of her blade, knocking him out. She stood and walked over to the door, which thankfully was unlocked. When she walked in she heard an argument happening on her left, so she quickly darted to her right behind another bar. She listened in as the argument continued.

"But I need that money! I earned it! I have my own expenses you know…" The person speaking did not sound like an elf, but Aurora was unsure of his nationality.

"Silence! Do not presume, Gissur. You are most useful, but do not presume. We have other informants who are less… offensive."

"But no one else had brought you such valuable information, have they? Etienne, he's alked hasn't he? He knows where that old man is you're looking or, he told me himself!"

"You'll get the rest of your money when we confirm his story. As agreed."

"So he has talked! I knew it!"

"Everyone talks, in the end. Now I have work to do. Leave me to it, if you ever want to see the rest of your payment."

"Can I… I could help you. He'd talk to me. He trusts me."

"You'd like to come downstairs with me is, is that it, Gissur? Shall we loose his bonds and put you in a cell together? You can ask him anything you like, and see how he answers." They're keeping prisoners in the embassy? Aurora almost shook from the information. She had to get what she needed and be quick, but she couldn't just leave a man to be tortured and die at the hands of the Thalmor. She needed to find where they were keeping him. When they finished their conversation, she looked to see the Thalmor heading towards a separate room in the far right corner past a set of stairs. She quietly followed him into the room after waiting a few moments as to not be detected. She passed a desk and behind it a chest. She rummaged through the desk, trying to find the plans she was looking for. She found nothing. She looked through the book shelf to the right. She found a book that contained the blueprints for the buildings currently under Thalmor control. She even found some for many of the Jarl's palaces including Solitudes and the Reach. When she found Northwatch Keep, she ripped the page out and stuffed it in the "purse" Delphine gave her. She turned to the chest against the wall, and was happy to see it did not have a lock. She opened it to find a key that she pocketed and a few dossiers. She sifted through them, opening each one to see who the dossier was on.

She stopped when she read an all too familiar name. She read the title page: _Thalmor Dossier: Ulfric Stormcloak._ She swallowed hard and looked around the room to see if she was still alone. She opened the dossier and as she read through it her eyes grew wide and serious. She only knew of the man what her mother had said and the rumors around Skyrim. But this… this was information she did not want to know. She quickly closed the dossier and went to put it back in the chest. She hesitated for a moment as she stared at the journal in her hands. She bit her lip, considering the gravity of the words within it, then finally placed it in the makeshift pack. She found another dossier on Delphine, hers being a bit more lengthy. She only read through part of it before she heard someone enter the adjacent room. She quickly placed it within the pack alongside the other dossier and headed towards the stairs on the right side of the room where the Justiciar had gone. When she was at the bottom of the stairs, she stared at the highly secure door on her left. She tried to open it, but it was locked. She reached into her pocket for the key she stole from the chest and tried her luck with it. She was surprised to hear the familiar clicking sound when it unlocked and she slowly entered the room.

The minute she closed the door behind her, she heard a man groaning in pain in the room below her. She looked over the railing of the landing she was on and her breath hitched when she saw a torture table as well as a few cells lined on the walls. As she made her way down to the floor below her she heard the man groan again.

"Stop. Please. I don't know anything else. Don't you think I'd have told you already?" The man pleaded. Then she heard the Justiciar from before speak to him.

"Silence. You know the rules. Do not speak unless spoken to. Master Rulindil will ask the questions. Let's begin again." The man wailed out again as a Thalmor soldier struck him and Aurora cringed at the sound. She couldn't handle it. She quickly readied and arrow and aimed t straight at the Justiciars head. Just before the man spoke, the arrow straight through his head and he fell off the chair. The guard quickly ran out of the cell, but Aurora was fast and shot an arrow through his throat. She slung her bow back over her shoulders and dug through ran into the now open cell.

There was a young Breton man chained to the wall. He had shoulder length blonde hair, and it looks like he'd been starved for days. There was a small puddle of blood beneath him from the gashes on his arms and torso. She wasn't sure she even wanted to see what his back looked like. When she came closer he pleaded with her to not hurt him anymore, thinking she was just another Thalmor agent.

"Shh… I'm not here to hurt you. I'm going to get you out of here, this will all be over soon." He sighed in relief as she released him from his chains. He fell to the floor and she quickly held him up. "Come on, let's move before they notice I'm here."

"Thank you. There's a small trap door where they drop the dead prisoners. We can go through there." She pulled his arm over her shoulder and helped him get to hit feet. They both moved out of the cell and to the right across from the cells was a small door on the floor. She set him down against the wall and tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Damn, I didn't think to bring any lock picks with me." She cursed.

"There's a chest over by the wall there, see if you can find something." He said to her, still catching his breath. She nodded and walked over past the cells to where the dead Justiciar lay. She found the chest against the wall and opened it only to find another dossier. She opened to find an unfamiliar name, though, as she skimmed the words she was shocked to see it was mentioned he was an associate of Delphines, another member of the blades. Her attention was quickly drew elsewhere when a voice spoke from the landing above her.

"Listen up, spy! You're trapped in here, and we have your accomplice!" Aurora's eyes shifted over to Malborn who had a sword being held to his back. "Surrender immediately, or you both die." Aurora, thinking of no other option withdrew her bow and quickly aimed an arrow at the first soldier. The arrow hit true and she quickly drew another to aim at the Thalmor agent with his sword at Malborn's back. She released her arrow, but not soon enough. The Thalmor already had half his blade through Malborn and Aurora screamed as they both fell to the ground. Aurora ran up the stairs and over to Malborn who was lying on the floor with the sword still in his torso.

"Malborn! No! Malborn, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault!" She said, the tears beginning to spill from her eyes. "I'm sorry, please, we have to try and…" Malborn interrupted her, blood spilling from his mouth as he coughed.

"No… I was dead the moment they got me." He said, his voice barely audible. She saw the light fade from his eyes and she lightly brushed her fingers over them as a small sob escaped her mouth.

"I'm sorry. I will make them pay for this." She promised quietly as she stood. She turned to the other dead Thalmor soldier and plucked the key from his side, hoping it would work for the trap door. She walked back down to where Etienne still remained against the wall and the trap door. She put the key in the lock and sure enough, it opened the door. She helped Etienne up again and they dropped through the door into what appeared to be a cave. They walked through the short tunnel and came to a clearing beneath them. Aurora's nose wrinkled from the smell. "We're going to have to drop down, I'm sorry." She said to Etienne, who still appeared to be in bad shape. "I wish I would have thought to bring some health potions. I'm sorry."

"Do not be sorry, you got me out of that place. I was sure I was going to die in there."

"I'll hop down first and do my best to cushion your fall when it's your turn." He nodded at her and she leaped off the edge, landing on the snow below as she bent her knees to help cushion her fall. When she stood, her ears twitched from the sound behind her. Still in a crouching position, she turned to see a giant frost troll standing under the rock formation she just jumped from. The troll turned and looked at her and she gasped as it started heading towards her. She quickly jumped up and ran from it, hearing it trail behind her. She heard the prisoner call down and she yelled back, "Uh, just stay up there a moment, I have a little…er, big problem down here." When she had made it a far enough distance away, she turned as she withdrew her bow and an arrow, quickly aiming for the troll's head. She let her arrow fly and it sank right into the monster's eye, sending it falling backwards and causing the ground to vibrate beneath her. She let out a breath of relief when she saw it was dead and moved back to where she had landed. "Okay, it's all clear down here, just jumped when you're ready." She called up, and she saw the man's blond hair peek over the ridge. He shuffled over to the edge, swinging his feet over first before he pushed himself off the rock. Aurora tried her best to help him, but it only sent them both to the ground when he fell on top of her. She mumbled an apology as he climbed off her.

When she sat up, she was facing the small area under the rock where the troll had been and something caught her eye. She stood up and walked over to the strange jewel that was floating in its case. It was a golden yellow jewel box with a dark maroon cushion. The pink gem was like nothing she had ever seen before. She picked up the box and looked at it for a moment. The jewel was floating above its cushion, she pushed down on the gem but it popped right back up to its original spot. She was fascinated by it, so she closed the box it was in and placed it in her pack.

The blonde Breton man was already making his way up the rocks to the cave exit. She followed him up, giving him a push if needed to help steady him. He seemed to be able to walk by himself once they were out of the cave. The blizzard had picked up since she entered the party and she saw the prisoner had nothing but a pair of worn and shredded trousers on. She took off the outer coat to her party clothes and wrapped them around him. He looked up at her and she smiled at him.

"You didn't have to help me, so… thanks." He said to her, wrapping the coat closer to his body.

"I did have to help you, what kind of person would just leave another there to die?" She asked rhetorically. "Why did they have you there in the first place?" She had been curious about it the whole time they were escaping.

"They thought I knew the location of someone they were looking for. There's this old man, I've seen him around Riften, but I don't know where he lives. I don't even know his name. Yet he matches the description of this… Esbren guy they're looking for. Maybe it's him and maybe it isn't." Aurora recalled the name she saw in the last dossier she had snatched. Delphine was wrong about the Thalmor being involved in the dragon attacks, but Aurora sure did uncover a lot of other information on the Thalmor as well as the blueprints to Northwatch Keep. She was disturbed by what she found in the embassy and knew they needed to get away as soon as possible.

"Come on, we'll try and get to the Solitude stables and leave this place. I'll give you some coin so you can get yourself clothed and fed, then get home where you'll be safe. You may want to use a different name for a while. Speaking of which, what is your name? I am Aurora."

"Etienne. They plucked me right out of the ratway, I don't know how they found me." Aurora gave him a soft and sympathetic smile as they both walked towards the stables. Hopefully this man would make it home safely, she new Riften was a long ways from here and could only wish him the best.

* * *

"She did what?" Aurora asked, seething. She had returned to the stables with Etienne to find Delphine gone. Lydia was there, luckily and was able to tell her what happened.

"I waited near the embassy for you, like you asked and the minute I heard things going bad inside I ran down here to get her, but she was gone. We can only assume she's gone back to Riverwood." Lydia replied, somewhat scared of Aurora's reaction.

"She has my armor, and everything else! Riverwood is five days from here! And she took the damn carriage!" Aurora growled in frustration. She was sure she was going to kill that woman next time she saw her. She marched down the cobblestone path and Lydia quickly followed.

"Where are you going my thane?" Lydia asked, concern in her voice.

"I am going to Riverwood to get my things." She replied with a clipped tone.

"What about the word wall?" Aurora stopped and groaned.

"I forgot about the damn word wall." She let out a huff of frustration and bent her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose with her right hand. "We'll go find the word wall, and then head to Riverwood. Maybe we'll get lucky and find a bandit camp with some supplies I can use." She continued marching down the path with Lydia behind her, pulling out their map so they could direct themselves in the right direction.

* * *

It took them a two days to find the word wall. They ran into more problems, causing Aurora to rethink her decision to go find it without having her things with her. She had no armor, or potions except for the few Lydia had packed and she had a limited supply of arrows. On their journey to Dragontooth Crater, they ran into multiple packs of wolves, three sabre cats, a bear and also stumbled upon a forsworn camp. At least Aurora was able to grab a few arrows from the camp, and it also provided them a place to stay overnight as well as food to eat. Lydia could tell Aurora's energy was slowly being depleted and hoped they could just hurry home to Whiterun after this.

They had lost their way from the path many times, seeing there was no direct way to Dragontooth Crater. When they finally found a path in the middle of the mountains Aurora was relieved that they would not be traveling through the bushes and hard rocks any longer. She had been traveling in those damn party shoes for half the trip and the rest of the trip she used the forsworn boots she stole, which were a little too large on her. Her feet had blisters on them, and it was beginning to become difficult to walk.

As they walked up the winding path to the top of the small mountain Aurora's nerves began to rise. A little over halfway up the path they started finding corpses, but not just dead forsworn and bandits, these corpses were bloodied and mangled. Most of them just bones and blood. Aurora tried to hold in the contents of her stomach as they passed and ignore the smell that emanated from the place. When they were closer to the top, she noticed how many of the bodies were scorched as well as much of the ground in the area. She slowed to a stop when she realized why. Lydia hadn't noticed until she was a few feet ahead of her and when she turned she saw the look of horror on Aurora's face.

"My thane what is wrong?" Lydia asked. Aurora almost started hyperventilating as Lydia drew close to her.

"It's a dragon. A dragon did all this…" Aurora mumbled as Lydia reached out and held onto her arms. "There's a dragon at the word wall." Lydia seemed just as shocked at the words, but always being her voice of reason she spoke calmly.

"Let's just get to the top and see for ourselves. Maybe the dragon just passed through here." Aurora nodded slowly, not meeting Lydia's eyes. Lydia wrapped an arm around Aurora's shoulder and they hiked the rest of the way up the mountain. When they got to the top they slowed and hid behind a large boulder near the word wall. Just as Aurora had said, there was a large gray dragon sleeping in front of the word wall. They sat behind the boulder for a moment, thinking of what their options were.

"He's guarding the wall. They know about me." Aurora stated.

"He's sleeping though. Maybe you can sneak past him?" Aurora looked at her wide eyed as if she was touched in the head.

"Are you mad? Why don't you go sneak past the sleeping dragon!?" Aurora's voice raised slightly and Lydia shushed her afraid of waking it.

"I'm not the Dragonborn, we're already here. We traveled two extra days to get here instead of heading back to Whiterun. We may as well get the word and leave. If the dragon attacks, we can try and find a nearby cave to take shelter in or something. If you're feeling strong enough, we may be able to get a good blow in before it wakes." Aurora pondered her words for a moment. She looked at her housecarl and friend with a serious look.

"Fine, if you, me and Delphine were able to take down a dragon I don't see why it can't be just the two of us. How many health potions do you have?" Lydia looked in her pack and winced.

"Three" She responded. Aurora cursed and looked back at the dragon again.

"Okay, you stay here. I'll try and sneak behind it, but if you see it move a muscle, shoot it with an arrow understood?" Aurora asked and Lydia nodded. Aurora took a deep breath before standing and slowly walking over towards the dragon. The closer she got, the more monstrous it seemed. She took slow, shallow breaths as she crouched around the dragon. It hadn't appeared to move an inch while she approached, but she saw the rise and fall of its stomach as it breathed. As she passed around, its head that was turned and tucked into a wing, she couldn't help but think of how peaceful it looked. She had seen a dragon up close, but never like this. It really was a magnificent creature and she almost felt sorry for having to kill them.

Aurora approached the word wall behind the dragon and felt the familiar pull of the blue light. The chanting roared in her ears once again, and she went down to her knees as she absorbed the word, too tired to fight off its energy. When her vision and hearing returned, she heaved a deep breath and spoke the word now joined with the other that swarmed in her head. "_SU"_ She whispered it and after taking a moment to contemplate the word she stood and turned around.

She quickly backed against the wall, startled to see the dragon was no longer there. She took quick breaths as here eyes began desperately searching for the dragon in the area. She turned her gaze to the sky to see it flying around the cliff above her. She looked forward to see Lydia firing arrows at the beast and she quickly withdrew her bow to do the same. A loud roar echoed off the mountain and the dragon swooped down and landed in front of them. Aurora balanced her feet as she took a deep breath and exhaled the words.

"_FUS-RO-DAH!"_ The crack of thunder echoed around her and the dragon stumbled back, shaking its head from the force. With a growl it readied a shout itself and before the fire came pouring out of its mouth Aurora readied for another shout, swinging her bow over her shoulders before she opened her mouth. "_WULD!" _The shout charged her forward so she was now underneath the dragon as the flame exhaled from its snout. She took out the daggers she had and stabbed them both up into its underbelly, the black blood pouring over her arms. It did not do the damage she wished, but it was more than nothing.

The dragon took flight unexpectedly, Aurora was still holding onto her daggers that were stuck in the beast's stomach and her grip tightened when her feet left the ground. The dragon shook her off and she plummeted twenty feet to the ground. She did not control her landing, falling onto her side and screaming out in pain. The pain bolted through her body and she knew she had some broken ribs and she could not move her right arm. She cried out for Lydia, who was still firing arrows at the beast. Lydia ran over, pulling out all her health potions and popping the corks off before the dragon had a chance to land again. She poured one into Aurora's mouth and Aurora cringed from the taste, but could feel her ribs slowly moving back into place. Lydia shot another arrow at the dragon circling above them. She turned back to Aurora and gave her the second bottle, then pulling out a stamina potion hoping it would help Aurora get to her feet. She gave her the last health potion before Aurora could move any then made her down the stamina potion afterwards as well. She helped her up and she saw Aurora's shoulder was dislocated and she was limping heavily on her right side. She sighed in desperation as they both walked towards the word wall for protection.

They both stumbled and fell when the dragon landed behind them and she heard it growl. Aurora let out a sob, knowing they were forfeit, but Lydia was not going to give up. The dragon inhaled one more breath, readying its fire shout and Lydia quickly aimed an arrow down its throat and let it fly. The arrow flew true and went straight down the Dragons throat and it began hacking out breaths of smoke. Lydia moved to the left and fired a second arrow at the dragon's eye, then a third at its snout. Soon the dragon began thrashing around wildly from the pain and lack of oxygen from the arrow lodged in its esophagus. After only a few more moments the dragon fell and Lydia let out a cry of relief when it remained motionless on the ground. Then he Dragon gave the tale tell sign of its death when the corpse began burning and the orange and purple light shot out to Aurora as she absorbed the dragon soul.

She ran over to Aurora who was still in bad shape. They had no more potions and Aurora could barely walk. Lydia did not know what to do, she began panicking trying to find a way to help Aurora. She had no other choice. She grabbed Aurora's bow and placed it around her shoulders along with hers. She went to Aurora's good side and placed a hand around her back, cupping underneath her right arm and her other under her knees. She lifted with her legs, and Aurora let out a cry of pain. Each step Lydia took, she could tell Aurora hurt from it. She did not know how long she could carry her like this, but she hoped there was someone who could help nearby. If the Dragonborn died today, there would be no hope for any of them.

* * *

**A/N: I think this is the first cliff hanger I've wrote for the story. So...duh duh duh! Lol, anyways you know the Dragonborn won't die. Though I think what I have planned for the next chapter will either make many of you happy or just completely shock you. Those of you who are Vilkas fans... well, hehe you will be very happy.  
**

**Don't forget to Review and Fave, I'm excited to see what you have to say on this one.**


	11. Chapter 11

Vilkas and Ria walked along the path to Karthwasten, completely alert and ready for any forsworn to attack. Vilkas hated The Reach, the forsworn were worse than bandits. Not only did many of them use magic, there was often a hagraven or two mixed in with them. Even without a heightened sense of smell, those things smelled horridly rotten. He almost gagged just from the thought of it.

Vilkas got the job to speak with Ainethach about the forsworn in the Sanuarach mine. He was worried about the loss in profit from the ordeal, as well as the mercenaries the Silver-Bloods would send to fix the problem for him, with a much a steeper price. Vilkas really hadn't wanted the job, but it was his turn and he knew where his responsibilities lay. However, he was not happy to see Ria was his Shield-Sister. The young Imperial had spirit. He could give her that. However, she was clumsy and still new to combat. He had continuously worked with her on larger one handed weapons. The poor girl had been using some iron daggers when she arrived at Jorrvaskr. He and Kodlak had greatly advised she used something more suitable for her size and luckily she didn't fight him on it. She was learning, but, she clung to Vilkas' every word.

"Should I be holding the blade further away than I would a smaller one?" She asked, looking at the Skyforge steel sword he had Eorlund make for her before they left. Vilkas sighed as she asked another one of the million questions that seemed to float within that head of hers.

"If you keep it in close, you'll have more control, but it can be harder to balance a strike." He replied, not looking back at her as they continued on their path.

"Hm… I guess that comes down to footwork, then." She said, placing the sword back in its sheath at her hip.

"Exactly. When you have a big heavy weight swinging around your upper body, your lower body has to compensate or you'll fall over." He replied.

"I see, no wonder you're so good at wielding a great sword." She said in an admiring tone. Though it was flattering, he grew tired of her compliments. He was afraid the young woman was getting a little too close for comfort. They did seem to go on jobs often and spend a lot of time together from it, but he held no feelings for her. He thought of her as more of a sister, but nothing else.

They walked for about another mile, and he answered her endless questions. She continued talking and he continued to ignore her except for when she directed a question at him. Beyond the noise of Ria's voice, Vilkas thought he heard something ahead. He shushed her, holding his hand up to stop her before they progressed any further and she stopped speaking for a moment. After a few seconds of silence she spoke again.

"What is…" He interrupted her with another shush and she sunk in on herself from him. A few more seconds passed and the noises became more distinct to him. He quietly motioned her to follow and they ran up the path and took a left near a break in the mountainside. They ran up the hill, and the noises got louder. He could hear the fighting, there were definitely forsworn, but he could not tell what was happening. They ran into a clearing where a forsworn camp was established and he looked across the camp to see a woman in steel armor, fighting off the forsworn clan alone. He pulled his great sword from his back and charged at the remaining forsworn. He saw the woman had already put down a few by herself, but she was obviously having difficulty with the rest. He heard Ria following behind him and the sound of her sword scraping against its sheath.

When he reached the small group of forsworn he went to the nearest, stabbing his sword through his back and then shifting his sword over so the man fell from it. Ria had slit the throat of the forsworn she was fighting and he counted four more attacking the woman, though their presence was now known and the forsworn redirected their attentions. One of them spun around, swinging his sword at Vilkas, but he blocked with his own, shoving the man off balance and swinging his sword at his unprotected torso, nearly cutting him in two. He looked over to Ria to see her struggling against her attacker and he ran over and stabbed his sword through the man's throat from behind. He turned to find the remaining forsworn on the ground, but the woman who had been fighting them was already running away.

He ran after her, but an arrow whizzed by him, just barely missing him. He looked to see one more forsworn hunter in the camp and he unsheathed the dagger at his hip, dodging another arrow and sent the blade flying into the archer's chest, killing him instantly. He turned his attention back to the armored woman, turning around a large boulder only to find her crouched at a boulder. He noticed the large gash on her arm, that was heavily bleeding and thought she was just catching her breath. That was until he noticed the feet on the ground next to her. He ran over to her, calling out to her.

"What is wrong?" He asked and before she answered she took off her helm and he stopped when he recognized the face. "Lydia? What are you doing…" His voice faded when he noticed who she was crouched over. Aurora's body was sitting up against the boulder and she seemed unconscious. Vilkas dropped to his knees next to her. "What happened?" He asked her, as he began to pull out a few health potions they had brought with them. He looked to Lydia and saw she was crying, her eyes red and puffy as if she had been doing so for a while.

"It was a dragon. We went to the word wall and he was guarding it. Delphine took all her damn supplies and we didn't know he'd be there. We thought we could handle it…" She let out a sob before she continued, shaking her head. "We were doing well, till it took flight with her attached to him. She fell over twenty feet or so, I couldn't tell. The minute she landed I heard all the bones crack. She was in so much pain. I think she blacked out. I already gave her three health potions, but…" She sobbed again as she lifted Aurora's shirt and Vilkas sucked in through his teeth at the sight.

Some of her ribs looked caved in, completely broken with bruises covering her entire right side. There were some ribs that weren't caved in that were slightly sticking out, blood dripped from where they punctured her skin, bruises covering the wounds. That appeared to be the worst of it, but he saw her limp arm from her dislocated shoulder, and the bruises covering her jaw as well. She had a gash on her thigh which also seemed to have broken or fractured bones.

Terror ripped through him at the sight. He could do nothing but stare at her, speechless. He listened hard for her heartbeat, and his worry grew from the sound of her faint heart. He looked to Lydia, who lowered Aurora's shirt. "She needs a healer, but I don't even know where we are. I just kept heading south, hoping I'd find Markarth."

"Markarth is still a few miles from here. How did you get her here?" Vilkas asked, pouring a small health potion on Lydia's arm.

"I carried her. I tried for so long; I didn't even know her injuries were this bad until this morning. I do not know how she's alive. I had to stop a few times, I nearly collapsed from exhaustion and then I ran into the damn forsworn camp" Lydia sobbed out.

"She won't be alive for long, she's dying and we need to get help as soon as possible. I just hope she can make it." He walked around Lydia and placed a hand on her shoulder, willing her to look at him. "You and Ria, go ahead to Markarth. Go as fast as you can." He reached in his pack for a few stamina potions as well as a draught of vigor. "Take these to help you and do not stop until you reach the temple of Dibella. There is a priestess there who can assist you, get a carriage and return here as quickly as you can. She does not have much time." Lydia nodded and quickly stood, running off with Ria back towards Markarth from where they had just come from.

He turned his attention back to Aurora, and listened to her heartbeat. It was a shallow sound and he could hear the wheezing in her breathing, but luckily she did not seem to have punctured a lung. He came to her left side and slowly picked her up, cradling her in his arms. She made no noise of pain from her comatose state and it made him worry even more. Her head hung back limply from his arm and he lowered to one knee for a moment just to bring it up against his chest. He carried her into the forsworn camp and laid her on a bedroll in one of the tents. He moved her dampened hair from her face and looked at her pale skin. She looked sickly and his heart squeezed at the sight. He had to save her. She could go like this.

He left her side and scoured the camp for all the potions he could find. Depressingly he only found two minor potions of health and some useless magika potions. He ran back to her and lifted up the right side of her shirt and he winced at the cracked and broken ribs, protruding from her skin. He pulled the cork from one of the health potions with his teeth and poured the potion over her wounds. This time he received a reaction from her, her back slightly arched and a groan escaped her lips. He looked to her face at the movement, and her eyes were squeezed shut tightly. He repeated the process with the second bottle but found there did not seem to be much of a difference in her broken state.

She was drenched in sweat, and her breathing was ragged and forced. He could hear the strain in her breaths, her ribs keeping her lungs from fully expanding. He feared Lydia and Ria would not arrive quickly enough. Markarth was a good two hours away, if not more. She may not last that long, but he would do his best to ensure she lived.

He sat there with his left foot on the ground, and his knee bent with his arm resting atop. He took in all her features. Her golden brown hair was matted and wet from sweat, but still maintained a sloppy braid. Her brows were slightly furrowed in her unconscious state, the pain seeping into her features. Her dark, long eyelashes feathered her high cheek bones and her face was flushed. He looked to her pale pink lips, her upper lip only slightly larger than her bottom. He placed his hand on her jaw, and lightly brushed her bottom lip, feeling its softness with the pad of his thumb. He looked to her closed eyes, and wished to look upon their golden depths once more. Her eyes always struck something within him, melting everything inside him to a warm liquid.

While admiring her features, he continued to listen to her faint heartbeat. I will not let you die from this, he thought. The bruises on her cheek were fading from the health potions he gave her but those were only minor injuries he was unconcerned with. He looked at her dislocated shoulder and debated on relocating it in her unconscious state. It would be best, he thought. He worked to ensure she lay flat on her back. He set her shoulder how he needed and took a firm grip on her forearm. He let out a huff of breath as he was looking at her, checking for any signs of her waking. He placed his hand on her torso and then gave a strong pull on her arm. The minute he heard it pop back in place, Aurora's eyes shot open and her back arched from the pain. She let out a wail and quickly brought her arm back towards her. He released her as she was trying to roll away from him and the pain. She then let out another cry of pain, an arm cradling her ribs and her hand shot to her broken leg. He put a hand gently on her face to sooth her as he moved her onto her back again.

"Shh… I know it hurts, you will be okay." He stated in a soothing tone, his thumb stroking her cheek. Her eyes looked around wildly, just trying to take in her environment until they rested on his face. "We will get you better, you have to lie still. Moving will only make it worse." She looked at him, saying nothing. "Do you understand?" She swallowed heavily and then slowly nodded her head, her eyes rolling back as she closed them softly. He left his hand on her cheek, and spoke calming words to her. Her brows were knitted together in pain and her mouth open as she panted, a small groan escaping every few seconds.

He had no idea of how long it had been since Lydia and Ria had left for Markarth. At least she was showing more signs of life now, the health potions helping her more than he thought. He held her hand as he continued to lightly brush her cheek. Her head leaned into his touch and his heart broke from the circumstance. He longed to touch her this way, but not with her like this. His thumb made light circles over her hand, trying to comfort her in any way he thought feasible. They remained that way for what felt like hours, his worry spiking higher the more she groaned in pain.

His head suddenly shot up and turned as he heard footsteps approaching. First thinking of Lydia and Ria, but that logic was pushed aside; they would have brought a cart. He tried counting the number of steps he heard as they grew louder. He made out over a half a dozen pairs of feet, and soon their chatter became audible. His hair stood on end, realizing they were heading for the camp they now occupied. His breath quickened and he looked down at Aurora, still in pain.

"Aurora…" He softly said her name, and her hand just barely squeezed his in reply. "I need to leave you, but I will be back in just a moment. I promise." He did not receive a reply. As he stood, he looked behind him to see some furs. He laid them out on top of her, hiding her from sight. He stood and left the tent, drawing his great sword from his back. When he came into the center of the camp, he saw eight forsworn approaching with the game they had been hunting. He had not expected more to return, or else he would have taken Aurora somewhere else, but it was already too late. He would do what he could to protect her.

He was confident in his skills, but with that confidence also came with knowing your weaknesses. He did not know if he could handle the eight forsworn at once, especially when he spotted three archers among them. He cursed when he spotted him. They dropped their hunting spoils and drew their jagged weapons, charging at him. He met them half way, blocking the strike of the first to reach him. He shoved him away as another took a swing at him, cutting his arm. He swung around, his sword strong in his grip, and cut down his attacker with a slice through his gut, spilling his insides. He turned to the rest of the approaching forsworn. He had two attacking on each side of him. He bent back, dodging the first, side stepping behind him while swinging his sword across his back. The forsworn lunged forward, into the other attack and Vilkas ran his great sword through both of them. As he withdrew his sword, he fell down to one knee as an arrow plunged through his shoulder. After he fell, his was met by a blow to the face, knocking him onto his back, breaking the arrow's tail. He yelled out from the shock of the pain. He looked above him to see the forsworn swinging his sword down at him. He quickly rolled to the side before the sword met him, but as he stood he was welcomed with another arrow, this one in his abdomen.

He felt forfeit as he doubled over in pain. He looked behind him to the tent Aurora lay, only to be filled with rage as he saw one of the archers approaching the tent. He saw red and began to shake violently. The beast within him was winning and he surrendered to it. His bones began to shift and dislodge themselves within him. He grunted through the pain as his nails and teeth elongated into claws and canines. His grunts turned into growls, his black fur sprouting from his skin. The arrow in his shoulder was displaced, falling to the ground as he grew larger. As he finished the transformation, he roared and charged at the forsworn near the tent. He tackled it to the ground and before he buried his teeth in its torso, he saw the fear in its eyes. He ripped the man apart with his claws and teeth then turned to the remaining forsworn. He crouched in front of the tent, snarling at the forsworn that dared to come near. He grabbed it by the throat, and ripped him apart, his organs and bones flying from his body. He felt an arrow pierce his chest, and his head swung towards the two remaining archers with the last forsworn swordsman, darting towards them in an attempt to avoid the beast. He charged at them on all fours, grabbing the runner with his teeth as he continued towards the archers. He shook the man lodged in his mouth and tossed him aside when he felt another arrow bury itself in his torso. He leaped to the archers, making quick work of them, tearing them to shreds.

After he turned to see no remaining forsworn he ran back to the tent, finding Aurora still hidden beneath the furs. He moved them away and sniffed her. The scent of honey and wildflowers filled his nostrils and he growled in appreciation. When she opened her eyes at the noise, they widened in fear but he did not move away from her. She was still, and he could hear her heart speed up, even in her injured state. She took quick shallow breaths as he assessed her in his wolf form. He placed a furry, clawed hand over her torso gently and she remained still. He cocked his head sideways at her reaction to him. Even in the condition she was in, she did not appear fearful of him. He sniffed her again to be certain of her emotions. He smelled her blood and the pain she felt, but there was something else beneath it all. He second guessed it, but he smelled something of reverence within her. It was not total admiration, but it was mixed with a sort of respect. She knew it was him underneath the monster. She made eye contact with him and he saw it in her golden irises.

He was hovering over her, his clawed hand still on her stomach, his other placed beside her head holding him above her. She reached her left hand up and he held back a flinch when she placed it on his cheek. She petted him, and he lowered himself further towards her. Her hand moved to behind his ear and he closed his eyes at the feeling. He never knew he would react in a way from her touch there. He lowered his snout to her neck and continued to inhale her scent, it stirring something within him that drove him wild. She let out a gasp when he licked her neck and the sound sent shivers down his spine. He pulled away and looked at her and she was still wide eyed, panting through parted lips.

He took a step away from her as he felt the change reverting him back to his human form. His bones broke and cracked back into place and he shed the fur from his skin. When he was back to normal, he was sweating and naked in front of her. When he turned to look her way, she was still staring at him in awe. He turned from the tent and went to find his wolf armor. He found it in the clearing of the camp, forsworn bodies lying shredded and torn around the area. His armor was made to come apart in case of the change. He was thankful for that. As he dressed, he realized he would have to move her; otherwise there would be too many questions from Lydia and Ria when they arrived. After he was fully clothed he walked back to the tent and Aurora was lying there with her eyes closed. He knelt down at her side and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Aurora?" He called upon her to see if she was still conscious. She slowly opened her eyelids and was looking at at him. Her eyes glowed up at him and he just stared at her for a few moments before speaking again. "We have to move. I'm going to have to pick you up." She nodded slowly in return. He moved his arm underneath her shoulders and she winced in pain, breath hissing through her clenched teeth. He placed his other arm underneath her knees and slowly lifted her. She whimpered in pain and he walked as gently as he could through the camp. "Do not look around you. Just keep your eyes closed." He said to her as they made their way through the slaughter he created.

"It is okay." She said, taking heavy breaths as she spoke. "I have seen the carnage of the wolf before." He looked down at her, her head resting against his shoulder. She had her eyes closed regardless as she spoke the words.

"When have you…"

"Farkas…" She breathed out. She swallowed before continuing. "My trial…" Vilkas' brows furrowed at the realization his brother changed in front of her during their trial. He had not mentioned it to him, only that they encountered a slew of Silver Hand. He also made sure to mention the other events of their trial and Vilkas felt the jealousy grow within him at the mere thought of it.

Vilkas decided to head towards Markarth, hoping he could cut the time shorter so Aurora stood a better chance. At least she was conscious now, but he still smelled the blood slowly seeping through her wounds. He felt only marginally better about her condition and hoped there would not be any permanent damage from her injuries.

After a little over thirty minutes he saw the cart come into view with Lydia, Ria and the priestess he sent them after. He picked up his pace, trying his best to not jostle the woman in his arms too much. When he reached the cart, Lydia hopped down to help him lay her down on one of the cart benches.

"How is she?" Lydia asked him, worry painted on her face and in her eyes.

"I found some more health potions for her, she is doing better. She woke up a while ago, but she keeps fading in and out of consciousness I think." He replied as the priestess approached her. They climbed back onto the cart, sitting opposite where Aurora lay. "Back to Markarth my friend." Vilkas said to the cart driver, handing him a small bag of gold. He nodded and whipped the reins to get the horses to turn around. Vilkas looked over to where the priestess was hovering over Aurora's body, the golden light flowing from her hands to Aurora. She moaned in appreciation as the warm light surrounded her. He heard the crack of her bones replacing but cringed as he saw the blood pour from the wounds. The ribs protruding her skin had kept her from bleeding out and now she was gushing.

"Give me something to cover her wounds. Quickly!" The priestess demanded and Lydia reached in her pack, taking out some scraps of cloth used for bandages. She helped hold them in place as the priestess downed a magika potion. The light continued to wrap around Aurora and she once again fell into unconsciousness. Vilkas sat there, his elbows on his knees with his hands fisted together, watching the scene taking place.

The priestess continued to drink the few magika potions she had as the bleeding slowly stopped. After what appeared to be a lifetime, she sat next to Aurora, placing her hands on her each side of her head. She lifted an eyelid to check on the woman and seemed content with what she saw. Vilkas gave her a pleading look, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"She will survive, but she needs to rest. She has lost a lot of blood. She was lucky to not have lost more. She can stay at the temple until she recovers and we will keep a close watch over her." She stated, smoothing Aurora's hair back as she spoke.

"Thank you." Lydia choked out, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Aye." Vilkas replied, "We will make sure the temple receives a very generous donation on behalf of the Companions." He stated and the priestess nodded her thanks.

They arrived in Markarth less than an hour later, and Vilkas carried her through the large golden doors that lead into the city. He followed the priestess through the maze of the stone city and up the steps to the temple. He carried her through the doors and was greeted by a few other women within. He followed them back to another set of doors, but they stopped him before he entered.

"This is the inner sanctum. Only women are allowed. You must give her to us and we will care for her." Vilkas growled in response, and the woman who spoke flinched from the sound.

"No, I will stay with her." He said, the protective tone coming through his voice. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked to see Lydia standing there.

"It is okay Vilkas. I can take her from here." Vilkas looked at her and hesitated before he transferred Aurora into Lydia's arms.

"Please, take care with her." He said, his eyes pleading. Lydia nodded and entered with the other priestess', disappearing from his sight once the doors shut. He stood there, his shoulders sagging as he gazed at the door as if he could see beyond them.

"Vilkas?" He did not look away from the door. "Vilkas, we should head back." He slowly looked to see Ria standing there, having forgotten her presence. He swallowed as he nodded slowly and walked past her towards the doors leading back into Markarth. He stopped before the priestess who had assisted them in the cart.

"What is your name?" He asked her.

"Senna." She replied curtly. He nodded and withdrew his coin purse. He took out only enough septims for food and a room at the inn. He gave her the rest and thanked her before he left.

As he and Ria headed down the stairs and towards the inn, he spoke over his shoulder to her. "We will stay in Markarth for the night and then head back to Karthwasten in the morning." He did not hear her reply, his thoughts still on Aurora. He had not recognised the depth of his feelings towards the woman until today, and he admitted to himself he feared the emotions swelling within him. He had always felt a sort of protectiveness over his brother through the years, promising Jergen he would look after Farkas. Nevertheless, he never felt the kind of vigilance he had felt today. It had been months since he changed, battling it every day. Today he willingly gave into the wolf when he felt she was at risk, something he had not done since Kodlak had told him about his search for the cure.

He suddenly became thankful for Farkas changing before her first, afraid of what her reaction might have been if she had known about him. He felt warm from her acceptance of him, her slight admiration of him while in his wolf form melted his heart. She had shown him love in a form he hated within himself. He wanted that again from her, the wolf inside of him growling in appreciation at the memory.

Tomorrow he would go to take care of the job in Karthwasten. Then he would make his way back to Markarth to insure she was safe and healing. With Lydia's statement about their lack of supplies, he would be sure to escort them back to Whiterun, probably hiring a carriage as well. Yes, he would watch over her from now on, because the thought of losing her was suddenly just too unbearable for him.

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**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this out. I started a new job this week and the hours take up my entire day basically. Also I had started it a week ago and went an entirely different direction but then decided I didn't really like it and it was just a bit much so I changed it quite a bit. I had played around the idea of Vilkas having to turn her into a Werewolf to save her, but decided I didn't really want to go that way as I wanted to keep her from having the curse. Though I also wanted to make sure he created some sort of bond with her, so I hope this did it justice.  
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**Anyways, Review and Fave! Thanks for reading!  
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	12. Chapter 12

_Aurora awoke from her bed in the temple of Dibella. The minute her eyes opened, she knew something was wrong. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood before making her way out of the sanctuary. There were no priestess', Lydia was not there and the more she listened, she realized the city was empty. She made her way through the rest of the temple, now running, only to walk outside into a world she did not know._

_Ash fell from the blood red sky like snow. The air smelt of soot and sulfur and the silence was eerie. This was not Skyrim. Had she died in her sleep? Had she been too far gone for the priestess to save her? She walked through the city, towards the market at the entrance. There was no soul to be seen in what was usually a bustling center of town._

_She walked to the city gates, pushing through the large Dwarven doors into an unchanging scene. She followed the path towards Whiterun. This was all wrong. What had happened here? The farther away she was from the city, the silence began to dissipate. Roaring in the distance echoed through the mountains, now covered in burnt trees and stone rather than the beautiful pines and snow they once held. Her anxiety rose, fear seeping into her blood, making it run cold._

_She was sprinting now, to where she did not know, but she ran and ran for Talos knows how long. She continued towards Whiterun, towards the center of this land she once called home. Suddenly, she was not running any longer. Whiterun stood in front of her as if her thoughts had taken her there. She was not prepared for the vision she saw. Dragonsreach loomed over the city, a fire erupting from its peak. The rest of the city was also burning, and she could smell the burning flesh of the residents within. She darted up the path to the city, hoping to find anyone still alive but she stopped just before she reached the stables. _

_She fell to her knees when she saw the pile of corpses, far more than those who resided in the city. The large pile was nothing she had ever seen, with more people than she could have imagined. It had appeared there suddenly just as the town had. She scooted over to the mound of death and gasped when she placed familiarity with many of the faces. The companions, the Jarls, the shop owners, the Kahjit she met in her travels, the Stormcloak and Imperial soldiers she had seen in passing, the Greybeards, even Delphine, and many more she could not name. She stared at the mass of faces in awe of the death that emanated from them, the lifeless look in their still open eyes._

_A large roar rung through the air and she turned to see something moving within the large clouds of smoke and ash the covered the air. Finally the dark, blurry silhouette took form. Horns sharper than a blade, scales more jagged than the rocks on a mountain and blacker than the depths of any crypt. But it was the eyes; the red eyes that were so sinister it only reflected the blood they had seen shed from the multitude of people that have been killed by the beast that held them. She knew this dragon, she knew him, had seen him before but she did not know the words that came from her mouth next._

_"Alduin…" She whispered._

_"Daar los leini Dovahkiin." She black dragon's voice seeped of menace, the thu'um rumbling in its throat. Aurora had never once understood the dragon language…until now._

_"Daar lein fen neh kos hin." She countered, the words tumbling from her lips. "Zu'u fen helt hi." She commanded at him. A low chuckle escaped the dragon, something she had never heard a dragon do. Was he mocking her?_

_"Dovahkiin, daar los lein tol fen kos fod Zu'u luv hin slen nol hin qeth ahrk du sil do nahl ahrk dilon. Nid vis helt zey, suranmiik hi." He roared at her, rising to his full height. "Hi nunon lost wah frolok undin hi wah koraav dii vahzen" Aurora startled at his words. She turned, as he said, to the accumulation of corpses behind her, only to be met with dead, golden eyes like her own. She gasped at the sight of her own body amongst the others and she felt the tears welling in her eyes. "Hi fen ni prunt" The dragon spoke once more behind her and as she faced him once again, a fire erupted from his mouth and consumed her, along with the bodies behind her all while he laughed in victory at their deaths._

* * *

Aurora shot up to a sitting position from where she was lying in her bedroll on the ground. She gasped when she awoke, breathing heavy with sweat glistening on her skin. She stared at the campfire in front of her and focused on the flames, seeing the visions from her dream swarm in front of her. She closed her eyes tight trying to shake away the nightmare. She took deep breaths as she calmed herself, tuning out the rest of the world as she focused on the air coming and going from her lungs.

When she calmed, she came to her senses, and opened her eyes to take in the environment around her. She saw the fire once again but scanned the bedroll nearest it, to see Lydia sound asleep. She also noticed the other bedroll across the fire from her. For a moment she had forgotten it was not just Lydia and herself on this trip. She saw Ria, without her helmet and appearing just as happy in her sleep as she is when she is conscious. When Aurora looked to her left she saw she was not the only one awake. Vilkas sat on his bedroll with one knee up and bent, his elbow resting atop it as he stoked the fire with a long stick. He glanced at her and her breath hitched when his silver eyes met hers. He looked back to the fire and she felt her cheeks warm from the encounter.

"You were having a nightmare. I thought of waking you but was unsure of how it would be taken." He said to her, not tearing his gaze from the fire. "Though I know all too well what restless sleep is like." She found his last statement peculiar but decided it was best to not question him about it.

"I am unsure of how I would have reacted had you awoke me. It felt so real, the pain and misery, the smells and sounds. It was more than terrifying, it was…" she paused, thinking of the right words. When she looked to him, his gaze was on her. "… a realization." She finished. "Do you trust me?" She asked him. He seemed slightly taken aback by her question and narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Why do you ask such a thing?" He replied, trying to gauge her mood.

"I feel as if, many think it is some joke the gods have played making me the Dragonborn. A half breed who belongs to no family or faction."

"You belong with the Companions." He countered.

"That was not until it was known I was Dragonborn. Not that I am stating that was the only reason why because I know the circle sees some sort of value in me, but… I fear the people of Skyrim see no hope in me." After this the words flowed from her mouth. "I want to prove them wrong. I have only truly killed a single dragon, I find it pathetic that I have not been able to cause the finishing blow to the other dragons. Though I was not without courage in those situations, I fought as much as I could. I am no warrior, but Skyrim is my home and I will defend her.

"Before all of this, I was just some rogue huntress traveling the Rift and Eastmarch. I had no friends, no family, no one I could call a companion. If I would have died fighting a bear, or a sabrecat or gods forbid a damn spider, no one would have cared. No one would remember me; no one would know who I was or the life I lived." She paused and took a deep breath. "I was alone and I thought I enjoyed that life. But then I met Aela and Farkas and Ria fighting that giant. When I came to Jorrvaskr for the first time, I had felt welcomed, something I had never felt before and none of you even knew who I was.

"Everything is different for me now. I am something important. I now have importance to my life, something to live for and fight for. The population can believe this half breed will let them down but I will only smile upon them when I have risen above the challenges that face me." Vilkas was practically staring at her as she spoke and she gave him a small smile before she finished. "There was a black dragon at Helgen, the one that saved me. We saw him once again when I fought that second dragon in Kynesgrove, but he looked at me as if I was just a bug that could easily be squashed. I dreamt of him tonight, I spoke with him in the dragon tongue, I spoke his name. _Alduin_." She saw Vilkas stiffen at the name and she narrowed her eyes at him. "You have heard the name before?" Vilkas hesitated before answering.

"Yes, he is the Nordic god of destruction. There have been many tales spun about him and many books written with his name."

"You have read these books?" She asked, her curiosity spiking. "What do they say?"

"Alduin was the first dragon among many that ruled over men and mer. The dragons viewed humanity as a lesser species, and kept a tyrannical hold on mankind, but soon, in an event known as The Dragon War, men stood up to their dragon overlords." She became awed at his knowledge, never having done much reading herself, but it was as if he recited the words like they were in front of him.

"Did they win?" She asked.

"Not long ago I would have told you yes, but seeing as he has returned with many other dragons I will tell you no." He replied, something grim in his voice.

"I am going to finish what they could not." She said confidently. "I am Dragonborn, and I will prove myself. Tonight I dreamt of a world where I failed and I refuse to let that become a reality. I told you I had never felt important until recently and I will hold steady to this feeling. I may have been overwhelmed at first but now… it is as if I was always meant to be this. I could never truly stand the loneliness but maybe that life groomed me for what was to come. My mother always told me before her death that we are all meant for something greater. That I was meant for more than the life she could give me. It makes me wonder if she knew what I was." Aurora surprised herself in bringing up her mother. She had not spoken about her in many years.

"What happened to her?" Aurora did not want to answer, and her eyes grew dark from the question.

"I do not know. She was taken in the middle of the night when I was still young. I was about fifteen summers old when she left and I only hope it was not by choice. I loved her more than anything in this world and I have never truly recovered from her disappearance." He nodded in understanding.

"When Farkas and I were still young pups, are supposed father, Jergen, left for the Great War. He promised to Farkas his return, but he never came back to Jorrvaskr. Farkas held on to the hope he was still alive for some time, but I always knew the reality of it." Farkas had never spoken of their father to her. She was surprised to see Vilkas opening up in such a way. Ever since she met him, he was distant and only seemed to speak when words were necessary. She felt something warm inside her at his admission and she suddenly felt closer to him.

They sat in silence for a few long moments, both staring at the fire, maybe sparing a glance or two at the other. She finally broke the silence with a quiet voice. "You should get some rest, I will take watch."

"Rest does not come to me so easily any longer, I will be fine." He replied.

"Is it the wolf blood?" She asked, hoping she did not sound to prying. His eyes shot to hers and he nodded. "Farkas had once tried to explain to me what it was like. He said it's like something always battling inside of you, trying to get out."

"Farkas handles it better than most, or better than I. Aela and Skjor have always accepted it and embraced what they are. When Kodlak spoke of finding a cure, I was immediately agreeable to it. I had anger within me before I took the beast blood but after it grew to an uncontrollable amount. I have lost myself to it many times and I stray away from turning if I can."

"What made you turn the other day? I do not remember much, but I remember the sounds. I remember…" She paused and he stared, waiting for her to continue. "I remember you saved me. I suppose I never thanked you. So… thanks." She said with a small shrug.

"Anyone would have done the same." He replied nonchalantly. She felt a pang of emotion in her chest at his words, she did not understand why.

"Was it difficult? To turn I mean." She asked, not wanting to end their conversation.

"Yes, but I do not wish to speak of it. I did what I had to get my shield sister to safety, nothing more. Farkas would have changed much easier than I." He replied, but she felt there was some sort of confliction in his words.

"He did once." She said.

"You had mentioned that when I was carrying you before. He had never mentioned it. Does anyone else know you are aware of the curse?"

"Yes, Aela. I spoke to her about it that night, among other things." She replied.

"What things?" Her breath hitched at the question. She did not think speaking about them to Vilkas was all that great of an idea. She slowly nodded her head and he quirked his in response, but let it be. "I will continue to keep watch, try and get some sleep." He said to her. She sighed and lay back down on her side, facing away from him.

He stared at her, with her back turned to him and he badly wanted to be next to her. Her caramel colored hair was beautiful in the fire light and he wanted to run his fingers through the soft strands. He lied to her. He would not have changed for just anyone, he changed for her. He would never let anything happen to her. Not only would he hate himself, but his brother would too. His heart ached at the thought of his brother. When they returned to Whiterun, he worried about his reaction to his brother and the woman beside him cozying up to each other. Yes, she always felt distant from him, but things could change. She experienced a very traumatizing near death incident and it would drive anyone to be closer to those they cared for. If she chose to be with his brother, he would not interfere, regardless of the pain it would bring him. A small voice brought him from his reverie, still staring at Aurora's back.

"Vilkas…" She said softly.

"Aye."

"Good night." She said simply, and it warmed his heart.

"Good night Aurora." He replied, hoping his voice sounded as soft as hers. He heard her sigh and he smiled to himself at the sound. He was unsure of how this came to be, but it almost made him happy. His love was growing stronger for this woman and though it brought him pain in a way, there was still a light in the once dark world of his life.

* * *

**A/N: I know this was a short chapter and I'm sorry it had taken a bit for me to update. I'm still getting used to my work schedule and all but I will try my best to make sure I finish this story.**

**The chapters probably will be a bit shorter from now on, but do not fret this story will be well over 150,000 words by the time I am done. I do plan on doing the Dawnguard and Dragonborn expansions as well so that may make it a bit longer.  
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**Anyways this was a scene I had thought of at the beginning of the story, I was unsure of where to put it and figured I'd just throw it in a chapter here by itself. Anyways, you guys know what to do Review/Fave. Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

Upon their return to Whiterun, they were greeted as usual by the guards and townspeople who were thankful for their safe return. Aurora and Lydia left for the Greymane's house while Vilkas and Ria returned to Jorrvaskr. Aurora would explain to Avulstein her delay but at least she had good news. She found the blueprints she needed for Northwatch Keep at the Thalmor Embassy. When she presented them to him, his jaw dropped in awe.

"How in the world did you acquire these?" He asked her, looking over the blueprints as if he was planning the attack already.

"I would rather keep certain things to myself, but with this it will be far easier to rescue your brother. I still do not wish for you to endanger yourself but I feel that with these, it will be more possible to plan an ambush. I will leave these with you, and trust you can handle planning this for I am not one of war." She said to him. He looked her in the eye finally lifting his gaze from the prints in his hands.

"I thought you were to try this on your own?" He said questioningly.

"I had originally planned that yes. However after obtaining these I believe it will be best to take someone as yourself. I realized it may have been wrong to keep you from helping your own brother and that if it were anyone to lead an ambush on the keep it would be you. I will accompany you but I ask that this is thoroughly planned out and we can spare as many lives as possible. When you have a plan and some men, find me and we will travel to Northwatch Keep for your brother." He nodded and stood, setting the prints down as he did. He gripped her shoulders gently and looked her in the eye.

"Thank you Aurora. You have done much already and it honors me to have the chance to fight with you to rescue my brother. We are all thankful for your assistance." She smiled up at him and nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement. He released her from his grip and she left the house with Lydia following closely behind.

They headed towards Jorrvaskr but just as they reached the Gildergreen, Aurora was nearly tackled to the ground by a large bear of a man. Farkas. She tried to laugh as he squeezed her tight, but the air left her lungs from his grip.

"Farkas let her go before she snaps in two." Lydia said, prying his arms off of her.

"I'm sorry, but Vilkas told me what happened. I'm just so glad you're back safe." He said, putting her down but still keeping his hands on her arms. "I may not be the smartest man in Skyrim, but I am sure as hell smart enough to know to NOT go after a Dragon with as few supplies as you two did. What was going through your head?" He asked her lightly tapping her forehead.

"The word _Yol." _She whispered. The real reason she agreed to go with Lydia to find the dragon after Delphine had taken her supplies was because the itch was getting worse. _Yol_ was scratching to be attached and she was surrendering to the call. However it had not helped her much as there was another word wall at Dragonstooth. Now _Su_ was bouncing around in her head and she already had a drive to go find another dragon.

"Did you learn a new shout?" He asked.

"Yes, this one I believe is much more dangerous than some of the others." She said. She had not used the shout yet but she knew its power nonetheless. _Yol_ meant Fire, and seeing as dragons had the ability to shout fire from their mouth, she could only assume this did something similar.

"You will have to show me another time, everyone is in the hall waiting to hear about your fight with the dragon." He said, putting his arm around her shoulders and guiding her towards Jorrvaskr. They climbed the stairs and entered through the double doors. As they did glasses were raised and shouts of praise were hollered in their direction. She took her usual seat at the table and food found its way in front of her as well as a bottle of mead.

She began to speak of the dragon she and Lydia fought and what had happened to her. Part way through her tale she saw Vilkas ascend the stairs from the bunks below them and he made eye contact with her when he took his seat at the table. She felt they had formed a sort of bond in their time on the road together but she knew it was more than that.

She vaguely remembered what happened after Vilkas had found them. She awoke for only a few minutes but she cherished the memory. She had seen Farkas change at Dustmin's Cairn to fight the silver hand but there was something different about Vilkas in his wolf form. He had approached her like that, his fur dark as night, yellow and fearsome eyes shining down on her. She felt his hot breath on her face as he loomed over her, twice the size he was as a man. She was not as fearful when she had been with Farkas. Maybe it had been the shock during the first time, but this time it was almost a comfort. She knew he was withholding from changing and he had changed to fight off the forsworn threatening them. When he was finished though, he did not change back. He found her in the tent, and something drew her to touch him while he was in that form.

She had dared to reach to his face and felt the fur for herself. It felt just as she imagined a wolf's fur would feel, soft to the touch yet coarse in some parts from the wilderness. He did not move away from her when she reached for him, he even leaned into her touch, wanting more. He had drawn close to her, his snout near her neck and she had been more than startled when his tongue touched her. She had not expected it and it felt horribly intimate. She thought of that moment many times on their journey back to Whiterun. The closer they got to the city the more she began to have a sliver of worry.

She thought of Farkas on their return. He had been intimate with her before, kissed her, and held her. Though these moments that she had with him were not the same. She cared for Farkas yes, and her body reacted to the way he touched her but her heart did not long for him the way his did for her. The moment she shared with Vilkas had made her realize this. She had not spoken of their intimate moment to Vilkas, afraid it may have all been a dream in her near death state only to realize he confirmed his change while they sat alone talking at night. She asked about the beast blood but he was not comfortable with the topic of conversation, which led her to believe he was not comfortable with talking about their moment of intimacy as well, so she let it be.

Though now that she sat next to Farkas in the Mead Hall and Vilkas sat on the other end of the table, she could not help but feel the conflict within her. She was afraid of two things. The first was rejecting Farkas. The emotion she felt when she was with Farkas extraordinarily paled in comparison to what she felt around Vilkas. She had not realized she felt anything for the other twin until that fateful day. What would have happened had he not been there? She surely would have died, but the emotion stemmed from something more than that. Vilkas always had the intimidating aura about him and she felt it directed at her many times, but was there something behind that? She always felt maybe there was but maybe it was hidden so well, she could not tell, not until he changed to the beast. Though that was her second fear, that maybe the emotion was misplaced. That his sentiments were just as he said they were, only to help a fellow Shield-Sister. She feared the latter worse than the former.

Feeling suddenly exhausted she left the Mead Hall after finishing her story and having only one or two more bottles of mead. She walked down the steps leading to the bunks beneath the hall and quickly crossed over to where a warm, comfy bed awaited her. She needed a good washing but the exhaustion was winning the inner battle so she started stripping off her armor and weapons. She sat on the bed for a moment in just her leggings and tunic, taking apart her braid. She stared at the golden brown tips of her air in her hands as she contemplated the events of the past week. Lost in her thoughts she did not hear the footsteps approach the room but she suddenly felt another presence. She did not have to look up to know who it was.

"I have been thinking of what you told me the other night." Vilkas spoke softly to her. Her eyes looked up to find his; he took his usual stance in the doorway leaning up against the frame, arms crossed. She remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "What you said of being the Dragonborn. You asked if I trusted you and I never answered the question." He said to her.

"And do you?" She asked in reply.

"I trust that you will do everything you are capable of to save us from these dragons." He said, and she could sense the honesty that came from his words but knew he was not finished speaking. "Though your abilities hinder you. You are skilled with a bow no doubt, but it is obvious that sometimes that is not enough."

"I have shouts." She said.

"You know a total of four and only one of them is complete. Dragons know many." It hurt to hear these words but he was right, she knew nothing compared to what a true Dragonborn should know. "That means killing more dragons and finding more words. Though it is only you who can absorb a soul, it was never said you had to fight alone." She quirked her head and was sure she showed slight confusion on her face. "I will train you. I am Ria's trainer who is only slightly more skilled in her use of swords as you are. I believe I can help build you up to truly be what you are meant to be."

"You want to train me?" She asked, but she hoped there wasn't too much excitement in her voice. That would mean more time with Vilkas and that he was willing to take his own time with her. It only boosted her thoughts of his emotions and she believed it was not a false hope.

"Yes. Skjor and Aela have their own dealings and do not train the whelps as much as they should. You deserve the time it takes to build your skills and any of us would be honored. But I wanted to be the one to do it."

"What of Farkas?" I asked. Something flashed in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it came.

"Farkas I am sure will be just as helpful. If you wish to train with him I would understand." He said, his voice becoming slightly harder.

"No that is not what I meant. I would be glad to train with you Vilkas. Thank you." He nodded in response and pushed off the door frame ready to leave.

"Be ready early, I do not like to waste daylight." He said to her and she acknowledged him. He turned and left towards his room and she let out a breath. Suddenly her exhaustion did not seem so heavy. She lay in bed a little while longer before sleep found her and this time it was yellow, animalistic eyes that watched her in her dreams.

* * *

Aurora and Lydia walked up the steps to the Sleeping Giant Inn to get her supplies and other items back from Delphine. Aurora reached for the door but Lydia's hand shot out and stopped her. "Wait. Remember what we discussed. I know you are angry with her, but don't do anything rash." She said calmly. Aurora heaved a large breath through her nose and nodded. They entered the inn and saw Delphine was nowhere to be seen. They walked over to her barkeep and he motioned towards the secret room.

Aurora and Lydia marched down the stairs to see Delphine working over her enchantment table to their right. She stood straight when she saw them and Aurora crossed her arms to keep from punching the woman in the face. "You made it out alive, at least." Aurora fumed at her words.

"No thanks to you! And no sure if it mattered to you or not but Malborn was not as fortunate as I." Aurora spoke in a risen tone.

"Malborn knew the risks and accepted them just as you did. If he had survived he surely would have met that fate someday."

"Yes, as it seems so will you." Aurora pulled Delphine's Dossier out of her pack and forced it at her. "I found what I needed along with a few of those on some very important people. So it would seem this whole exhibition was not a complete loss. I will also tell you the idiotic idea that someone was actually responsible for the Dragon's return was just that… an idiotic idea and nothing more." Delphine looked up from her Dossier that she had begun to sift through.

"Really? That seems hard to believe. You're so sure about that?" She said and Aurora nearly slapped her but took a deep breath instead.

"Why did you send me if weren't going to believe the news I had for you?" Aurora said through gritted teeth, taking note she could see Lydia also losing her temper out of the corner of her eye.

"You're right, you're right. I just…" She paused and looked down at the Dossier in her hands. Her tone changed to one of defeat as she continued. "I was sure it must have been them. If not the Thalmor, who? Or what?"

"For something as large scaled at dragons being brought back to life, I am no sure placing blame is what we should focus on. We need to find out how to stop this, more and more dragons attacks are being reported every day and I refuse to stand by idly and watch. That is why I am taking action. I am training with The Companions so I may stop these dragons and help protect Skyrim. I only came here to get the gear that you ran away with like the coward you are. If you are truly a blade like you say you are, stop hiding in this basement and rotting away while the true issues are happening out there! Blades are meant to hunt dragons, protect the Dragonborn. All of which you have done none of. I don't know why any of this is happening but I cannot do it alone. As much as I despise your company, your knowledge can be useful. If you ever plan on being of more help I will accept it but for now I am retrieving my gear and taking my leave." Delphine seemed shocked by Aurora's sudden outburst but motioned over to the chest in the corner that held Aurora's things. Lydia walked over to the chest and retrieved the pack and other miscellaneous items that belonged to Aurora and they made their way for the stairs.

"One more thing before I leave." She reached back into her pack and brought out the other dossier on her associate. "The Thalmor were looking for someone named Esbern, I believe you may know him?" Delphine brightened at the name, snatching away the dossier.

"Esbern? He's Alive!? I though the Thamlor must have gotten him years ago. That crazy old man. Figured that the Thalmor would be on his trail, though, if they were trying to find out what's going on with the dragons."

"What would the Thalmor want with Esbern?" Aurora asked.

"You mean aside from killing every blade they can get their hands on? Esbern was one of the blades archivists, back before the Thalmor smashed us before the Great War. He knew everything about the ancient dragonlore of the blades. Obsessed with it, really. Nobody paid much attention back then. I guess he wasn't as crazy as we all thought."

"So the Thalmor want him for his knowledge on the dragons. It would seem they think the blades must have something to do with this." Aurora added.

"Ironic I know. Even so, Esbern must be found before the Thalmor reaches him. He'll know how to stop the dragons if anybody does."

"The Thalmor seem to think he is hiding in Riften. I rescued a man named Etienne who they tortured for this information."

"Rifen eh?" Delphine brought her fingers to her chin, contemplating something. "Probably down in the Ratway then, it's where I'd go."

"You are sure this man Esbern knows how to stop the dragons?" Aurora asked. Delphine nodded with a serious face. "I am sure I can find him. If he has the knowledge you speak of, he will aid me greatly." Aurora went to leave but Delphine stopped her.

"Talk to a man named Brynjolf. He's… well connected. A good starting point at least." Aurora looked at her questioningly, pondering this man's connection but Delphine continued. "Oh, and when you find Esbern… if you think I'm paranoid… you may have some trouble getting him to trust you."

"How do I gain his trust?" Aurora asked.

"Just ask him where he was on the thirtieth of Frostfall. He'll know what it means. With that Aurora left with Lydia and they made their way back to Whiterun. After she gained more training, she would find this Esbern and maybe they could put an end to the dragons return for good.

* * *

"We… we are going to fight a dragon." Vilkas stated. Aurora looked at him in awe and shock at the statement, with different emotions surging through her. "There is a bounty out for a dragon in Hjaalmarch. We are going to find it and kill it, and you are going to absorb its soul." He said matter of factly to her, as if it was no big deal.

"I have killed one dragon Vilkas, what makes you think this will be so easy? I find your lack of hesitance disturbing." She stated to him in truth. She had truly killed only one dragon, however absorbing three souls. The final blow was done to the two other dragons. The first with the help of the companions (Vilkas included) and the second with the help of Lydia.

"We have spent weeks training and you have grown stronger every day. I have never seen a whelp build skills as quickly as you have." She had to admit the training was definitely working. She could now dual wield two swords instead of the daggers she had used before. She had also gained a bit of muscle weight as well, filling out her armor a bit better. She did feel stronger and it gave her some hope that maybe she could defeat a dragon if she tried.

"I am only better because of my trainer." She said smiling up at him. He gave her a look that was as if he was scolding her but could not hide the amusement in her compliment. "If you truly believe I am ready, I will follow you to this dragon and consume another soul." She said, trying to sound more confident.

She knew it would only be a matter of time. She had confided in him only a week prior that the new word was becoming stronger in its reminders that it needed a soul to attach to. She would periodically get headaches; some so strong she would have to sleep them off with the help of potions. She needed to kill another dragon. She feared if she waited too much longer she may actually lose her mind.

"We will set out for Morthal in the morning. The Jarl will have more information on the bounty there. Be sure to pack some warm clothes, it will be rather cold where we are going." He said to her in an ordering tone and she nodded in acknowledgment. Her anxiety grew in anticipation but the word within her also itched harder at the thought of possibly being released.

* * *

Moorside Inn in Morthal looked as many of the other inns looked. A Large fire pit in the center, random chairs and tables set throughout the lobby, a bar and a few patrons enjoying some drink and food. Vilkas and Aurora had arrived in Morthal only moments before. They decided it was best to rest in the inn before taking off after the dragon. They had already paid a visit to the Jarl only to be greeted by her steward (and husband) Aslfur. He gave them parchment with the bounty information needed and sent them on their way. Aurora had felt uneasy being in the same room as the old Jarl. Her stare was penetrating and knowing, as if she knew Aurora her entire life. She would not make eye contact with the woman after that and made note to keep a distance in the future.

Aurora sat near the fire in the inn as Vilkas talked to the barkeep about acquiring them some rooms for the night. She enjoyed the warmth of the fire. Vilkas had not been joking about how much colder it was further up north. She remembered just how cold it had been near the Thalmor Embassy and thought Morthal was not nearly as cold, it was no what she was used it. Even with half Nord blood, she did not have the resistance she wished she did.

Vilkas approached her, something anxious in his expression. "What's wrong?" She asked him, turning away from the fire.

"He only had one room available." He said holding out the key.

"That should not be an issue Vilkas, I am sure we can figure something out." She said, but she could also feel her anxiety rising slightly. They had spent nights out camping while traveling before, and it did not seem to be an issue but staying together at an inn was something different. The confined space changed everything.

They walked to the left side of the lobby to find a room that looked familiar to the one she had stayed in at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood. A bed was up against the right side of the room and a chair opposite it as well as an end table. The wardrobe sat against the wall near the foot of the bed. The bed was made for only one person and as she stared at it, Vilkas had already unrolled his bed roll on the floor and she looked at him peculiarly. When he noticed her stare and he shook his head.

"You think I'm going to just make you sleep on the floor or try and squeeze into a bed with me?" He asked her. She shrugged her shoulders and he shook his head again, turning his attention back to readying his sleeping area. Words finally found her and she thanked him for being considerate and letting her have the bed. She walked over to the wardrobe and stripped off her armor and then crawled into the bed. He had already seemed to find a comfortable position on his bed roll, his arm draped over his eyes. She stared at him for a moment and thought of the times they had recently shared over the past month or so. Ever since he had saved her from the Forsworn, something between them changed. She found she enjoyed being in his company, even when he was in one of his grumpy moods. Though even during his angry bouts, she understood better where the anger stemmed from. They had a better understanding of each other and she felt she may have grown closer to him than she ever did Farkas.

Farkas had not made any more advancements but she could tell he was still holding on. He would watch her train, sometimes help or give good advice during her spars with Vilkas. He would still sit by her side in the Mead Hall at dinner and drink with her and accompany her at times through Whiterun. She could not reject him but she knew one day she would be faced with it eventually. For now, she would just enjoy his friendship while it lasted.

"You know it is very difficult to sleep if you don't try." She heard Vilkas say, pulling her from her wandering thoughts. He had not moved but somehow sensed her restlessness.

"Sorry." She said before finding a comfortable position and closing her eyes hoping she would find sleep but her mind was still too restless. Even with her feeling they grew closer, she still feared he did not necessarily feel the same. He was always so good at hiding those kinds of emotions behind the anger and brooding. She desperately wanted to know how he felt about her. She only hoped she was half as good at hiding her emotions because the closer she got to him, the more she felt her admiration was not the friendly admiration she shared with Farkas. This was something more. There was an intensity about this man that flowed through her emotions with him and it made her strive to do what she could to please him. She trained harder, and read up on the dragonlore like he suggested. She did whatever he asked and went a step beyond it to prove her worthiness. She only hoped he saw her in such a light and that it was not just her imagining their close bond.

* * *

**A/N: Okay I tried to make this chapter longer, and actually there was going to be more but I decided to split it into two chapters. Next chapter will have more interesting things happening, I've been trying to focus more on the building the relationship between Vilkas and Aurora seeing as the story was supposed to be more about them in the beginning (I will be... changing things up much later on.) So I would very much like feedback on what you guys think about the progression of their relationship.  
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**Once again thanks for reading! Review and Fave please! Oh and next chapter, we have another dragon! Woot Woot!  
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	14. Chapter 14

"How do you expect to kill a dragon if you cannot even keep up with me?" Vilkas hollered back to Aurora how was trailing behind him by a few yards on their trek up to Eldersblood Peak. Her short legs were jogging up the path to catch up to him. He chuckled to himself as she slowed next to him, panting short breaths, the cold air accentuating her large breaths in the puffs of steam coming from her mouth. He turned and continued hiking up the mountain, hearing her exasperated sigh as he motioned for her to continue with him.

"If you didn't take such _long_ strides up this damnable path, it would not be an issue. I am short, give me some time to make up for that." The corner of his mouth tilted a bit. He looked back at her again, taking two steps for only one of his. He slowed his pace slightly, but still walked much quicker than her.

"The dragon will not care that you are short and neither do I. This will help build up your endurance. The longer you can last against the beast, the better chances you have." He replied over his shoulder.

"I will have no endurance left by the time we get to the top of this mountain." She heaved a huge breath before she sprinted up next to him. "Why did you have to choose a dragon at the top of one of the higher points in Skyrim? And so far up north? I know you Nords like it that way, but I am only half of one of you crazy bastards. I can feel the cold seeping into my bones." She complained, bundling her clothes up around her, trying to stay warm.

"Believe me, you will warm up in a matter of moments the minute that dragon notices us." Vilkas stated, already feeling a slight sweat from the excitement of fighting another dragon. He remembered their first encounter at Whiterun's watch tower and how many of them were needed to take the beast down. Though at the time, they didn't know they had the Dragonborn among them. He truly believed it would be much easier this time around.

"I do hope you don't mean what I think you do…" Aurora said to him, but he truly felt curious and raised an eyebrow at her in response. She rolled her eyes and continued. "Dragons breathe fire. I prefer to keep my skin attached to my bones thank you very much, regardless of how cold I am currently feeling." He actually laughed out loud at her statement, and she seemed slightly in shock from the boisterous laugh. "That is not funny! I have had one too many close calls with Dragons breathing fire my way. You won't be laughing when your hair is singed right off your head."

"Your skin has remained attached Aurora, I do not believe this will be the dragons that undoes that." He said to her, still smiling.

"You are rather confident about all this." She said in an unsure voice.

"Well…" He thought on his words for a moment before speaking again. "I am confident in the two of us but that is not why I believe fire breath will not be a problem with this dragon. The bounty states the Dragon has been seen using frost breath instead."

"They can do that? My current knowledge of dragons seems to grow the more I encounter them. All the dragons I have previously seen have all used fire breath. Why would this one be different?" She asked, the curiosity seeping into her voice.

"I do not know. Maybe its current place of habitance has something to do with it."

"Possibly. I have yet to encounter a Dragon this far north. It was snowing in Kynesgrove, but we were not very elevated. The snow had seemed to follow Alduin though, maybe they have shouts that change the weather. When I was at Helgen, he used a shout that caused hail fire to fall from the skies. I remember how beautiful of a day it was, barely a cloud in the sky. The minute he landed they changed to purple whirling storms and chaos. It was surreal, like his return called for something more drastic. Dragons are nothing if not arrogant and self-absorbed. I had read in one of your lore books they once tried to enslave man, believing themselves Gods among us. I guess it would make sense seeing that Alduin translates to destroyer, devour, master or in our case, World Eater." Vilkas looked at her with an almost confused look but it seems he was more intrigued by her brief rambling about the dragons.

"It seems you've done your research." He said.

"I took your advice on that. It would appear the more I know about the dragons, the better I can understand them and my purpose here. They were created by the Gods, the same as I. This must mean something, I still have yet to figure it out."

"How did you know the translation for Alduin? He has been referred to the world eater before but I never read a literal translation like that." He asked, never having read that anywhere himself.

"I have had dreams. Many of them have him in them. It is odd, how the dragons speak to me. They use their own language and the more I read it in the word walls, the more I encounter them, the more I have these dreams, the easier it is for me to understand. Maybe it is because of who I am but the words make sense to me. It is like I have known this language my entire life but it was forgotten, only to resurface now. He spoke to me at Kynesgrove and it was not until later the words found meaning. The dragon he spoke to had a name as well, and that is when I realized something about them."

"What is that?"

"The dragons, their names have meaning. They are shouts in a way. The Greybeards explained how each shout is made up of three words of power. There is only one I completely know, that was the first I learned from the dragon at Whiterun. He had a name as well, I had felt it when I absorbed his soul."

"You can feel them?" Vilkas found this information very disconcerting.

"In a way, yes. They are very different from us though. I mean, it feels more like knowledge than emotion. Because of him, I was able to find the meaning of that first word of power. Think of it as a way of enlightenment. I gain strength through the sharing of knowledge. That is how the Greybeards teach me. That is why I need the dragons, for their knowledge. It is not the power from the soul but the meaning behind it. I currently have a word, itching on the inside of my head, desperate to cling to a dragon soul. I have no knowledge of that word, just that it exists. Once I kill this dragon, the word will mean something to me. That is where the power comes from, knowing truly what I am capable of through these words of power. It sounds so much more complicated when I speak about it, but it feels… right."

"I can imagine the difficulty of putting the meaning of being Dragonborn into words. I feel you did well in explaining yourself. I just worry for your sanity. The heroes of Tamriel have all but gone crazy in their lifetimes and I do not wish that upon you." He didn't look at her when he spoke the words, afraid of her reaction.

"Well I would hope the minute I start going crazy that the Companions will be there to pull me from it. The training helps. It keeps my mind off things. Hunting as well, I have always kept a clear mind while tracking. That is what I love about archery, it is… soothing."

"You seem like the kind of person who finds an activity most have difficulty with calming."

"Archery has always been natural for me."

"That is because of your Bosmer blood." Vilkas stated matter of factly.

"I suppose that would have much to do with it wouldn't it? It is rather odd to see a Bosmer struggle with the use of a bow. My mother taught me, but she was not as skilled as the average Bosmer. I taught myself even more after she was gone. I practiced a lot. Rabbits and squirrels were fast enough to use for target practice. I told myself I was not good enough until I could hit them square between the eyes."

"I have never seen you miss your target." Vilkas said, and she thought she heard something similar to pride in his voice.

"I will not say I do not miss at times, but it is rare. I find my bow the most useful instrument I can choose. It works well for me." She smiled at herself but the smile quickly faded as a roar erupted through the air of the mountain.

"We are about to see how useful it truly is. I believe our presence is known." Vilkas said, and they both picked up the pace. They ran towards the top of the mountain. She looked up as a shadow flew over them and saw the skies were clear at the top of the mountain. Vilkas slowed behind her and she continued sprinting forward. Another roar rang through the mountains and she stopped when a shadow hovered over her. She turned her head towards the dragon flying above her. Immediately she nocked an arrow and aimed at the underbelly of the frost dragon as it heave din a deep breath. Her arrow hit as the frost breath came billowing out of the dragons mouth. She crouched down, bracing for the icy cold to hit her body, but nothing came.

She looked up slightly to see Vilkas crouched in front of her with his shield blocking the ice breath attack. The dragon took flight again towards the peak of the mountain. Vilkas grabbed her arm, lifting her to her feet as they both started running up the path again.

The path lead up under stone arches with disarrayed stone steps underneath, showing how close they were to the dragon's lair atop of the mountain. Aurora ran faster, leaving Vilkas behind. When they ran through the final arch, a grand set of stairs stood in front of them and she climbed them eagerly. There were a number of similar sets of stone stairs in the area and she continued her ascent with Vilkas trailing behind, keeping watch for the dragon that now encircled the area of the mountain below them. The peak came into view, and Aurora gasped at the sight of another Word Wall.

"Vilkas! There's a Word Wall up here!" She yelled as the familiar chanting began in her head at a low volume but still distracting volume.

"You will have to wait; the dragon is making its way back up the mountain!" His words were drowned out by the ever ominous roar echoing from the beast's throat. She turned to see the dragon soaring above them, preparing to land. Her eyes did not leave its dark form as she readied her bow and shot another arrow into its underbelly. "Aurora! This is what you have been waiting for. You can do this." Vilkas' reassuring words spurred her on and she shot another arrow at the wing, causing another roar to erupt from the dragon's throat along with its frosty breath directed toward the two of them. Aurora ducked and rolled out of the way, only catching an icy wind chill from the icy breath. Steadying herself on just one knee as she rolled to a stop, she nocked another arrow and sent it flying.

As the dragon encircled the mountain top, she continued sending a barrage of arrows into the underside of the dragon's body. When the dragon came around a second time it landed in front of her. The ground shook under the weight of the dragon's presence. Aurora readied her arrow and shot into the dragons snout as its ice breath came billowing towards her. She braced for the ice cold shards that came towards her but instead she felt a powerful force to the entire left side of her body as Vilkas ran into her, pushing them both out of the way.

"You need to focus. Do not let your guard down. Trust your reflexes. Don't stop moving." Vilkas continued his reassuring tips as she got back to her feet. The dragon was taking flight again and she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. He stared at her with his silver eyes and she found her courage within them. She nodded to him and then turned her attention back to the Dragon flying above her. She took aim with her bow once again and before shooting she breathed deeply and followed his movements. Waiting until the right moment, she sent the arrow flying into its neck and the Dragon shook its head to rid itself of the arrow lodged in its scales. It swooped down and hovered above them.

"Do not forget who you are! You are Dragonborn! Embrace it!" Vilkas spouted again. She did not see him, but she could tell he was farther away from her than before. She stared at the dragon, readying to hit them with another burst of frost breath. She planted her feet on the ground to steady herself as she took a deep breath with the dragon. Just as the breath crawled up its throat she released her shout.

"_FUS RO DAH!"_ The thunder clapped through the mountain as the shout left her lips and the force sent the dragon reeling backwards and into the ground. She smiled to herself at the sight and the thundering ground from the dragon's impact. As the dragon gained its balance, Aurora withdrew the two one handed blades Vilkas had been training her with. She took another deep breath and shouted once again.

"_WULD_" She was at the dragon's throat in a second at the command of her shout. Using both swords she began slashing away at the scales underneath the dragon's neck and belly. The dragon began whirling around trying to keep up with her and she laughed as the ice breath rippled from the dragon's mouth, hastily but unsuccessfully trying to catch her with it.

She rolled underneath the middle of the Dragon's torso. Not wanting a repeat of the last time she faced a dragon, she stabbed one blade in the underbelly and dragged the sword before yanking it out while its blood dripped onto her hand. The dragon stood on its hind legs above her and as it loomed over she used the same sword and threw it towards the dragon's face. However the blood covering her hand caused the blade to slip, and it never reached its destination. She thought she heard a chuckle come from the Dragon and she sneered at it.

The dragon continued to mock her as it took flight once more but it turned its attention away from her. As the dragon sped over to where she saw Vilkas watching the fight from a distance. She had not noticed that before he was letting her have the fight. He had only contributed when she needed him but now the Dragon was targeting him. She ran towards him, but he was just as aware as she was. He withdrew his great sword as the dragon landed in front of him. The dragon heaved before spurting out his ice breath again but Vilkas had already made his way to the Dragon's flank, stabbing his great sword into the space in front of its left wing.

The dragon swung around, knocking Vilkas off his feet and rolling to the side in front of the word wall. The dragon, with the great sword still imbedded in its side turned to face him. Preparing its breath again Vilkas sat up on his elbows only to see the Dragon's snout mere feet away from him. He saw the ice creeping up the dragons throat into its open mouth and he closed his eyes and held his hand up ready for the icy blast.

Instead he heard a different shout erupt into the air.

"_YOL!"_ He opened his eyes to see the large gust of flame pour from Aurora's mouth. Standing in front of him, facing the Dragon head on, he was in shock with what he saw unfold before him. The flame engulfed the frost breath that crept out of the Dragon's mouth. The flame doused the frost then continued to flow over the Dragon's face. The Dragon roared and reared back again, attempting to shake off the flame. Aurora walked steadily towards the dragon as it continued to back away. Aurora, still holding one of her swords ran at the Dragon that was slashing around on the ground. She leaped, her feet finding Vilkas' great sword buried near the Dragon's wing. Using it as a stepping stone she flew onto the beasts back and held tightly to the scales protruding from its spine. She straddled the part of the wing attached to the torso, keeping a strong hold on the dragon with her thighs. She began hacking at the screaming dragon's arm. After numerous amounts of slashes, the wing held onto the dragon's body by a thread. With one final swing, she connected, sending the wing flying from the dragon's body.

The dragon collapsed and Aurora went rolling with it. The dragon attempted to regain some semblance of balance, but knew it was done for. A dragon was no _Dovah_ if he could not fly. Aurora ended up lying face down when she came to a stop. She sat up on her elbows and turned to see the dragon slashing around on the ground. When it finally stopped she stood up and walked over to the beast. It was still except for the heavy breaths causing its chest to rise up and down slowly as it took its final breaths. She walked over to where the dragon's skull lay. The dragon looked up at her and she thought she saw a glimpse of fear in its eyes. She was drawn to it in a way and she placed her hand on its snout as the dragon desperately tried to stay alive.

"_Nii los bek. Hin sil fen reyzan zeim zey._" Aurora spoke to the dragon in a soothing tone, the words flowing through her as if she were compelled to say them. She knew their meaning, but she felt it was just now that the meaning came to her. "_Siiv drem." _With her final words, she saw the beast take its last breath and the light faded from its eyes. She stared at the dragon's body as the scales began to burn away as they usually did and the orange and purple light flowed around her. The wind from the light rushing through her ears was deafening and she closed her eyes to let herself become overwhelmed with the feeling of absorbing the dragon's soul. As the light faded and the wind stopped, she felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow before she felt the enlightenment of a word finding meaning.

"_Air" _She whispered to herself as the meaning of "_SU"_ cleared in her mind. She felt a sudden almost aching relief as her mind was cleared of the word. She sighed of relief and took a deep breath and moment to herself. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she was pulled from her moment of peace.

"Aurora?" Vilkas' tone was worrying and she turned to see it etched in his features. She gave him a small smile to reassure him. The smile faded from her lips when she looked past him to see the word wall. She wanted to cry and she knew Vilkas could see it within her. She shook her head and looked to the ground.

"I find peace for only a moment before I have to go through it all again." He turned his attention to the wall behind him. He looked to her and held both her shoulders in his hands.

"This is what you are meant for. There are more dragons." He said, trying to find something more reassuring to say but he was at a loss for words. He settled with giving her the courage he could. "You were incredible today. You caused the final blow. You killed a dragon, nearly by yourself today. You were meant for this, you are strong." He placed his fingers lightly on her chin and tilted her face up to meet him. "I believe in you." He said the words while his eyes bored into hers. They stood like that for a few moments before her eyes shifted to the word wall again. She heaved a deep breath and began walking towards the wall.

She slowly walked up the steps and the chanting in her head grew louder and louder. She was pulled to the wall like a magnet and finally she fell to her knees as the blue light surrounded her and the chanting drowned out everything around her. Before she knew it, the feeling passed and a new word bounced around in her head.

"_Zun"_ She whispered the word, desperately trying to find some meaning within it. She took notice of Vilkas hovering behind her. "I do not understand. I spoke the language today as if I have known it my whole life. There are words I understand as if I could hold an entire conversation with a dragon but when I absorb these words… there is no clarity what so ever."

"I can only imagine that being Dragonborn is just like any skill. It needs to be trained and used before it is completely put to good use. These words are like any book you read, you do not know the meaning until you finish the whole book and can attach something to it."

"I only hope there are enough dragons to go around for these word walls. Maybe we will find one on our way back home?" She said in a slightly hopeful voice.

"Maybe." Vilkas said with a chuckle. She smiled back at him, but he could still see through the smile. "Let us head back to the inn. We will leave for Whiterun tomorrow." She nodded and stood, pushing herself away from the wall and they both descended the mountain in silence.

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**A/N: Okay so first of all sorry for the long wait. I've been working a lot lately and just honestly been too tired to do anything but lay around and sleep. So thanks for staying with me.  
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**Secondly, because of my new work hours, I feel I do not have as much time to write and edit as I used to soooo with that being said. I am looking for a BETA reader. I know my writing and grammar is by far from perfect and it would help to have someone give me a hand there before I upload anything. So if you are interested, PM me.**

**Also this chapter has a soundtrack! I haven't done one of these since Chapter 5. This chapter's inspiration is brought to you by Henry Jackman's song from X-men First Class - the song is literally called First Class. I thought it was an interesting choice because in the movie Prof. X kind of guides everyone to use their abilities to the best of what they're truly capable of. I kind of envisioned Vilkas doing the same for Aurora here.  
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**And Finally, next chapter will be much more interested... trust me. We're still in the developing stages of this budding relationship between Aurora and Vilkas but next chapter will be a huge mile marker. I hope you guys will enjoy it.**

**Anyways, thanks for reading and don't forget to Review and Fave!  
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	15. Discontinuation

To my Fellow Followers, Favoriters and Other Readers:

I have decided to rewrite this story. I know it has been suuuuppppeeeerrrr long since I did anything with this and I'm sorry about that. Life has taken it's toll on me but I still consistently think about writing again. I will try harder this time around, hoping I can deliver something with more substance.

Truth is, I thought a storyline already made for me would make writing easy enough without much thought but I was wrong. However, I've currently made an extremely well thought outline that will take this story crazy places, far more than I originally planned so if you all will bare with me, I will give you something original and amazing in its content.

I once again apologize for the long wait on any sort of update but I will be posting the Story under a new name. The link is posted on the bottom of this page. I will be removing this story after some time.

Thank you for your patience once again. Please review and favorite the new story. Don't worry I haven't changed too much and this story is much more promising.

s/12038692/1/Rek-Saviik


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